Lakers News: Latest on Lonzo Ball, Jordan Clarkson's Role and More
Despite sitting on the outside of the early-season playoff picture in the Western Conference with an 8-13 record, the Los Angeles Lakers are trending in the right direction for the future.
Wednesday's 127-123 overtime loss against the Golden State Warriors went a long way toward showing improvements the Lakers have already made this season and where they could end up if all the pieces come together as they get more comfortable together.
Lonzo Ball is the focus of everything happening in Los Angeles because of his hype coming out of UCLA. The 20-year-old rookie has had ups and downs through the first 21 games of his career. He's been terrific at setting up teammates, as evidenced by his 7.2 assists per game, and is averaging seven rebounds per contest.
Shooting has been the Achilles' heel for Ball, who is only connecting on 31.5 percent of his field-goal attempts. He looked much better against the Warriors with 15 points, his most in a game since Nov. 11, and he shot 5-of-12 overall.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton praised the effort Ball put forth in the loss to Golden State.
"I thought Lonzo played great," Walton said, per Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times. "I thought Lonzo was really good in being aggressive individually but still within the concept off how we want to play the game of basketball."
Beyond what Ball was able to do against the Warriors, Walton also noted he's seen his star rookie look more comfortable with his shot in non-game situations.
"He's been shooting the lights out in practice," he said. "I told him before the game, you're going to be one of the best point guards in this league. Embrace this challenge, if it's open and in rhythm … and he's got a bounce to it … let it fly.”
The Lakers still don't have the depth and firepower to compete with top contenders like the Warriors and Houston Rockets, but there are real glimmers of hope to think they can be a borderline playoff team by the end of this season.
Ball's continued development will go a long way toward helping the Lakers achieve their immediate and long-term goals.
Jordan Clarkson Unhappy with Role
Since Walton is trying to balance a roster that has Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson fighting for minutes in the backcourt, it stands to reason that there will be times when one of them draws the short stick.
Clarkson has been the odd man out on more than one occasion this season, and he finally voiced his displeasure with not playing in the fourth quarter during Monday's 120-115 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"It tough as hell, to be honest with you," Clarkson told Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles. "Because I'm a competitor like everybody else in this locker room. You want to be on the floor. It is what it is. I can't control nothing of what's going on. [Walton] put the guys, he thought, on the floor that are going to win the game for us."
Clarkson has appeared in each of Los Angeles' 21 games so far, but his 22.6 minutes per game is the lowest mark of his four-year NBA career. He is making that time count with 15.4 points per game, third-highest on the team.
Walton did get Clarkson more playing time against the Warriors when he was on the floor for a season-high 36 minutes. He played well with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds off the bench.
The Lakers are still trying to figure out who they are right now. Clarkson is an asset for them to build around, so his increased presence in the lineup two days after not being happy with how he was used could be a positive sign for him.
Brandon Ingram's Optimism
Ball has the highest ceiling of any player on the Lakers roster, but Brandon Ingram is coming into his own one year after being drafted No. 2 overall by the team.
With 32 points against the Warriors on Wednesday, Ingram put himself among some elite company in Lakers history:
Beyond what he was able to do individually, Ingram said he likes the look of the team right now and where things are headed in Los Angeles, per Sam Amick of USA Today:
"We're just trying to build with what we have right now. We know we have a young core that's really talented, with good attitudes, good character, and that work hard every single day. I think talking with (Lakers president of basketball operations) Magic (Johnson) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) and (head coach) Luke (Walton), they're up for the process, the process of what we're building with all these young guys. We know that something bigger and better is going to come out of this.”
If the Lakers are going to start reeling in marquee free agents, players like Ingram and Ball have to show that they are special talents. Star free agents don't want to join a rebuilding team that hasn't shown it's anywhere near competing for a playoff spot.
Ingram has shown dramatic improvements across the board from his rookie year to this year. The 20-year-old has increased his scoring average by more than six points (9.4 to 15.7), shooting percentage by 64 points (.402 to .466) and rebounding (4.0 to 5.3).
Ball is only one month younger than Ingram. If that duo can develop and play up to their full potential by the end of this season, the Lakers will have no problems adding high-end talent to their roster as soon as next summer.
For now, though, Lakers fans should be happy to keep watching Ingram and the rest of the talent they have in place.
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