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The Peculiar Case Of Jordan Clarkson

By Carter Johnson

Mar 24, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Lakers assistant coach Paul Pressey speaks to Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during a break in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Lakers assistant coach Paul Pressey speaks to Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during a break in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jordan Clarkson is in a rare situation where he must prove his worth as a future mainstay to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jordan Clarkson‘s role in the future of the Los Angeles Lakers has always been a questionable and uncertain one.

At first, the 2014 second-round pick wasn’t even a part of that blueprint.

But after a stellar rookie season during which he averaged 11.9 points per game and was one of the team’s more reliable offensive weapons on his way to earning FirstTeam All-Rookie honors, Clarkson started to come across some fans’ radars as an unlikely co-building block for the Lakers’ future alongside Julius Randle.

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That blueprint got even more murky when the Lakers took D’Angelo Russell with the second overall pick with the intention of making him their franchise point guard despite having a proven Clarkson already on the roster.

Now, a little past a quarter of the way through the season, the Russell-Clarkson tandem everyone envisioned doesn’t seem to be working out, and while the former is thriving and continuing to grow by the game, the latter has seen fluctuating play in his sophomore season.

Feb 4, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks with guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks with guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Jordan Clarkson is in a position where he, more than anyone else, has to prove his value to the Lakers.

Clarkson started the season picking up where he left off in 2014-15, leading the Lakers in scoring through the month of November and boasting an improved three-point game (percentage up to 43 percent from 31 percent last season).

However, since suffering a knee injury midway through December, Clarkson has been rather pedestrian offensively, averaging 12.3 points per game on awful shooting numbers (35 percent from the field and an astoundingly terrible 8.3 percent shooting from three).

This three point percentage comes about as a result of him missing 15 consecutive three-point attempts in a six-game stretch.

Clarkson saw somewhat of a return to form in the team’s wins over the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, as he erupted for 24 and 19 points in the two outings, but such a slump is still enough to raise concern about his development.

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Unlike his young peers in Russell and Julius Randle, the Lakers have made no promises of keeping Clarkson after his contract expires this season, let alone featuring him as a cornerstone to build their future upon.

Such a short leash also makes Clarkson the team’s most attractive and expendable trade piece, as he is a promising young wing who can provide offensive production but may not have enough potential to be a franchise player. In other words, his talent is enough to demand a large contract, but he may not be talented enough to coax the Lakers into footing the bill.

In this way, his case is eerily similar to that of a former No. 6 for the Lakers named Eddie Jones, who showed tremendous potential and was an All-Star level talent but was eventually left out of the Kobe Bryant–Shaquille O’Neal picture and traded, only serving as a solid role player on good teams like the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets from that point on.

Since the organization has yet to assert their faith in him, Clarkson is in a position where he, more than anyone else, has to prove his value to the Lakers. Nights with 12 and 14 points won’t be enough, and inconsistency in the scoring column from one night to the next won’t help either.

He’s got to show that he can play extremely well consistently and do so alongside future mainstays in Russell and Randle.

Or does he?

Some, like Bleacher Report’s Michael Pina, have suggested that Clarkson may be a better fit in the sixth-man role that Russell is currently occupying. This is a very viable option since Clarkson obviously possesses the ability to score and would be the team’s go-to guy in a second unit that struggles to create offense.

Free of the limitations that come with playing alongside a ball dominant guard in Russell, Clarkson would have the ball in his hand and would be free to do as he pleases with it and — best of all — both could continue to develop without stunting each other’s growth.

It’s clear that Clarkson has the potential to be quite the player in this league, and his emergence from second-round pick to legitimate offensive threat has already endeared him to Lakers fans. It would be sad to see the Lakers again let a player with such potential slip away, so a solution must be reached where both parties can continue to thrive.

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And sooner rather than later.

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