Realistic Expectations for Jordan Clarkson's Rookie Season with LA Lakers

Jordan Clarkson may be a bellwether for the Los Angeles Lakers' season.

It sounds overstated, but it's true.

If he's just another innocuous second-round pick who barely sees the court, it means things are going as L.A. planned.

If he's starting or playing a big role every night, it signifies another disaster of a season in Hollywood.

Realistically, it's unfair to expect anything big from Clarkson in 2015. After all, second-round draft picks rarely, if ever, produce at a high level as rookies. 

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And for the time being, the Lakers are well-stocked in the backcourt. 

Then again, the same could have been said a year ago. Midway through the season, L.A. had to turn to free agent Kendall Marshall as their starting point guard for 40 minutes a game.

Clarkson will begin the year as the third point guard on the depth chart—behind Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin—but with Nash's health shrouded in mystery, Clarkson could be thrust into a larger role sooner than expected.

If he's called upon to run the offense for any length of time, the Lakers will be in trouble.

Thus far, Clarkson has not shown a knack for being a high-quality facilitator who can create good shots for his teammates.

He finished his collegiate career with more career turnovers than assists and posted a negative Pure Point Rating in all three of his campaigns in school, per DraftExpress.

Summer League saw more of the same, as Clarkson finished with just six assists in five games compared to 17 turnovers.

One thing Clarkson does do well, though, is get his own shot.

As Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman breaks it down, "Clarkson is a tough one-on-one cover, thanks to his deep repertoire of moves he uses to separate for a shot. Between crossovers into jumpers, spins into runners, pull-ups over screens and step-backs off the bounce, Clarkson can create makable looks for himself from all over the half court."

That ability was on full display in Las Vegas, as Clarkson led the Lakers' summer squad in scoring at nearly 16 points per game.

His play impressed coach Byron Scott, who told Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell, "I loved what I saw in the summer league from Clarkson. His athleticism and length, which will help him on defense, and the way he pushes the ball up the floor…I really liked what I saw."

Clarkson's skill set lends itself to playing an off-guard role, where he can focus on staying aggressive and creating scoring opportunities for himself.

Scott seems amenable to running the rookie out there next to another lead guard.

"Both guards should be able to run the offense, make things happen on the strong or the weak side," Scott said when asked about Clarkson's role on the team. "You just have to play basketball. Clarkson I think can do that."

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Functioning as a secondary playmaker should assuage the decision-making burden on Clarkson and ease him into the duties of running an offense at the NBA level.

Learning under a maestro like Nash should accelerate the development of those characteristics as well.

The Missouri product shouldn't get much burn early in the season while the rest of the roster is healthy, but if the injury bug ravages L.A. once more, or the second unit needs an injection of instant offense, Clarkson could be the man to plug the hole.

Expect modest production that reflects inefficient volume shooting and a poor assist-to-turnover ratio with some streaky bursts of scoring sprinkled in.

If he can show enough as a rookie to hint at some future value, the Lakers will have gotten a satisfactory return on their investment.