Jordan Clarkson Proving That He's the Real Deal for Los Angeles Lakers
One can be forgiven for withholding judgement on Los Angeles Lakers second-year guard Jordan Clarkson, but it would be a mistake to ignore his continued emergence.
Last season's 11.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per contest qualify as solid first-year production, good enough to earn Clarkson selection to the NBA All-Rookie first team at season's end. As an emerging player on a bad team, the 23-year-old found opportunities and made something of them.
Some, however, fret about that 31.4 percent mark from three-point range or get hung up on that missed layup on Christmas Day. Clarkson's season wasn't perfect, and that sequence epitomized as much. Clarkson recently shared his take on that experience on ThePlayersTribune.com:
"I'm not going to lie, that play hurt. We were already having a rough season, and the Christmas Day game was going to be one of our most-viewed games of the year. To have so many people watch me miss such an easy bucket was hard to swallow. Right after the play, I was on the bench and Kobe preached, 'It's basketball. It's gonna happen. Forget about it.'
"
Having Bryant around certainly hasn't hurt Clarkson's relatively rapid development. Even before he'd step foot in an actual NBA contest, the Missouri product found himself guarding Bryant during practices—and learning instant lessons, as he recalled on the Tribune:
"It wasn’t even preseason yet, but Kobe was going full speed. Somehow he made it look as if he was just gliding around. I don't think he had played all summer due to his injury, but he still killed everyone. The first possession, he caught the rock along the baseline and hit a turn-around jumper in my face...a shot I've seen him hit literally a thousand times on TV.
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The first-hand absorption of Mamba-like-wisdom is a gift in this league, and Clarkson has taken advantage. His ceiling reasons to be a bit lower than his mentor's, but his output and approach have elevated his personal brand in short order. More importantly, they give the Lakers a chance to be significantly better after an almost-traumatizing 21-win campaign.
The Summer League Evidence
Clarkson dropped 23 points in the Lakers' Las Vegas Summer League debut, an 81-68 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Summer league caveats always apply to those kind of numbers, but it's a promising and somewhat expected sign from a player who started 38 games for the Lakers a season ago.
The even better sign is that Clarkson is showing consistency, tallying 19 points in the second outing—this time a 68-60 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He's been aggressive, even with prized rookie D'Angelo Russell and second-year power forward (and de facto rookie) Julius Randle at his side.
Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by Clarkson's results. He now finds himself vying for playing time. In addition to drafting Russell (a 6'5" point guard), a healthy Bryant reasons to occupy minutes at shooting guard this season. General manager Mitch Kupchak also brought in free agent and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams to add some backcourt spark.
Clarkson is suddenly surrounded by competition for minutes at the two guard positions. The organization was probably smart to draft Russell and sign Williams, but head coach Byron Scott will have his hands full putting these guys into positions in which they'll succeed. There's suddenly a lot of talent to go around in that backcourt, and that includes Clarkson. One hopes he doesn't get lost in the equation.
As long as Clarkson continues producing, Scott may have little choice about how to deploy his troops—perhaps even using Bryant at small forward in order to make room for the deeper guard rotation. One way or another, Clarkson deserves to play.
Every game—Vegas Summer League or otherwise—is an opportunity for Clarkson to prove he belongs in that mix. So far, he's doing just that.
It hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, admittedly. This is still a growth process, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times' Alex Shultz:
"There's still plenty of room to improve. Clarkson has shot the ball poorly from long range, converting on three of 11 shots from beyond the three-point arc in two games. He also hasn't gotten his teammates involved much, with as many assists as three-pointers. Some of that comes with Russell playing point guard, but Clarkson accepts that he has more to do before the start of the season.
'I'm going to continue to work and find things that I can get better at,' Clarkson said after the game.
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That three-point shot would be one of them, as would a slightly more refined playmaking instinct. But keep in mind that Russell excels at those two phases of the game, so there may be room for Clarkson to focus on doing what he does best: slashing to the basket and utilizing a solid in-between game. Clarkson knows how to use his size and athleticism, and he might be able to get by without an elite long-range shot—at least for now.
If he continues his already-substantial growth, he may become a legitimate two-way player with a more diversified offensive game. That's the hope.
The Story
The physical tools are there. The talent is there. But the scary part is that Clarkson may have the kind of intangibles required to make something of those skills. He's gotten this far.
Originally selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Clarkson was quickly acquired by the guard-hungry Lakers in exchange for cash considerations. It wasn't the most glamorous introduction to the NBA, but it opened a door.
NBA prospect D.J. Newbill of Penn State cited Clarkson as an inspiration to the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner.
"It's not where you start, it's all about where you finish," Newbill said in June. "That's a guy [Clarkson] right there you can tell he's got some grit because where he started at probably wasn't his ideal situation. But he turned it into something good for himself. He has a bright future."
The present hasn't been too bad, either. Clarkson played 59 games for the Lakers in 2014-15, and Scott made him the starter Jan. 23. L.A. didn't have a whole lot to play for, but that didn't stop Clarkson from establishing himself amid all the chaos and futility.
Still a prospect, Clarkson also spent some of the season in the NBA Development League—and he had the right attitude about it.
"When the Lakers sent me down to the D-League, I didn't view it as a demotion," Clarkson wrote in the Tribune. "I accepted it as a challenge. Plus, it meant playing more minutes, which meant growth."
Wise words from a player who's still growing. Before last season's All-Star break, few outside of L.A. were familiar with Clarkson. By season's end, he was a core part of the rotation with solid experience as a starter. The growth has been indisputable, as has Scott's growing trust in one of his youngest weapons. None of that was automatic. Clarkson worked for it, building his resume as the long campaign progressed.
And now he finds himself imparting advice, per the Tribune, to those who would follow in his ever-quick footsteps:
"If I could speak to the rookies who were just drafted—that was me a year ago—I'd tell them to have an open mind. Don't let other people’s perceptions affect you too much. You're a work in progress, not a finished product. There will be inevitable lows. Don't let those become what you’re known for. It will be your reactions and ability to adjust that will define how successful your rookie campaign is.
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The Numbers
Numbers aren't everything, but they do help tell the story in this case. Clarkson's final averages won't blow anyone away, but they're far more impressive in context.
While he averaged just 7.6 points and made 38.9 percent of his field-goal attempts through his first 31 games, his performances after the All-Star break were qualitatively better—thanks in large part to a starting role, increased minutes and the rhythm that comes therewith. In Clarkson's final 28 games, he tallied 16.7 points per contest and converted on 47.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.
| PER | USG% | TS% | AST% | Win Share | O Rtg | D Rtg |
| 16.9 | 23.0 | .528 | 23.8 | 2.4 | 107 | 112 |
Given the vast improvement, Scott may have to think twice about reducing Clarkson's role this season. He was a far better player when he got consistent minutes—averaging just 4.9 points per game off the bench and 15.8 per contest as a starter.
Fortunately, Russell certainly seems amenable to playing alongside Clarkson, as they have so far during Vegas Summer League competition.
"He seems like an easy guy to play with," Russell said recently, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes. "He's a fast-paced guard, very up-tempo, and I'm the same. I'm not as light and fast as him, but I try to pass and keep it that way."
He's earned that much.
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