Jordan Clarkson, rookie of the Lakers

[podsox]

he is on fire tonight

 

[wildturkey]

why do the lakers even give boozer minutes? going nowhere and he is awful

 

[trojanfan12]

If they get the #1 pick and pass over Towns/Okafor to take a guard, fire everyone in the front office and have the Buss Family sell the team. Those guards are good but the league is littered with guards. Front court players are harder to come by

Normally, I would agree 100%. However, they already have Randle and if they can add a Gasol, Monroe or DeAndre Jordan in FA, then Okafor/Towns become a bit of a redundancy and they are ignoring other areas of need. They already have solid backups in Hill, Davis and Black if they were to add a big in FA.

Using my example a starting lineup for next year of:

C - Gasol/Monroe/Jordan
PF- Randle
SF - Johnson(?)
SG - Kobe
PG - Clarkson or Mudiay

looks pretty good. Since Clarkson is more of a combo guard, they could even slide Kobe to SF if they wanted to start both Clarkson and Mudiay.

I seriously doubt they get Gasol because I don't think he's going anywhere. I think they have a shot at Monroe or Jordan if they choose to go after one of them.

In the end though, I think that if they get the #1 (or #2) pick, they will likely do as you suggest and take Okafor or Towns and chase guards in FA.

 

[wildturkey]

Normally, I would agree 100%. However, they already have Randle and if they can add a Gasol, Monroe or DeAndre Jordan in FA, then Okafor/Towns become a bit of a redundancy and they are ignoring other areas of need. They already have solid backups in Hill, Davis and Black if they were to add a big in FA.

Using my example a starting lineup for next year of:

C - Gasol/Monroe/Jordan
PF- Randle
SF - Johnson(?)
SG - Kobe
PG - Clarkson or Mudiay

looks pretty good. Since Clarkson is more of a combo guard, they could even slide Kobe to SF if they wanted to start both Clarkson and Mudiay.

I seriously doubt they get Gasol because I don't think he's going anywhere. I think they have a shot at Monroe or Jordan if they choose to go after one of them.

In the end though, I think that if they get the #1 (or #2) pick, they will likely do as you suggest and take Okafor or Towns and chase guards in FA.

But the draft comes before FA. There's no way of knowing they can get a FA but they damn sure know they can get Towns/Okafor.

 

[trojanfan12]

But the draft comes before FA. There's no way of knowing they can get a FA but they damn sure know they can get Towns/Okafor.

Damn. Had that backwards. In that case, draft Towns/Okafor and go after a guard in FA.

 

[DJ Fieri]

I liked Clarkson before it was cool

I was also surprised he didnt go top 20 last year

A lot of teams were taking Euro players so they could save $ and go free agent shopping last summer. That's why he slipped into the 2nd round.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Damn. Had that backwards. In that case, draft Towns/Okafor and go after a guard in FA.

I don't think it matters any way because we both know that Clarkson is a keeper, but won't be quite ready for another year or two in the terms of being an elite player, so if the Lakers can get a quality guard like Rondo for three years at 15 million or so - then by the time he is done, Clarkson will fit in and considering that Kobe has ended the last three seasons(counting this one) in season ending injuries - It can't hurt to have one too many guards for this next season.

 

[gordontrue]

If I were a Lakers fan I'd want D'angelo Russell. 19 year old big men just take too long to be productive.

 

[WiggyRuss]

not to be a dick...but if anyone is thinking that Clarkson is or can be an elite player from 2 months of playing on a bad team then they just might be severely dissapointed.

I think the kid does some things well- and he has good size which will help if he settles into a combo guard role....but look at all the PGs in the NBA

do you realize how many guys he would have to jump over that are damn good to be considered "elite"? even if it was 5 years down the line- let alone 2 years down the line.

and like i said- this kid has developed physically and emotionally a lot more than a lot of other guys that have come out in his draft class because he stayed in school.

to put it in perspective- Kyrie Irving is in his 4th year in the league and he is only 3 months older than Clarkson.

If Clarkson settles into a 6th man role where he comes off the bench, directs the offense and provides some scoring I am sure the Lakers would be ecstatic.....I highly highly doubt he is their starting point guard 1 or 2 or 3 years from now.----I could be wrong- it has happened before- but I just dont see it-

Of course- who knows- maybe he develops a 3 pt shot and works on his handle and does it- but it would be rare for that to happen to a guy in his situation.

 

[lakersrule]

not to be a dick...but if anyone is thinking that Clarkson is or can be an elite player from 2 months of playing on a bad team then they just might be severely dissapointed.

I think the kid does some things well- and he has good size which will help if he settles into a combo guard role....but look at all the PGs in the NBA

do you realize how many guys he would have to jump over that are damn good to be considered "elite"? even if it was 5 years down the line- let alone 2 years down the line.

and like i said- this kid has developed physically and emotionally a lot more than a lot of other guys that have come out in his draft class because he stayed in school.

to put it in perspective- Kyrie Irving is in his 4th year in the league and he is only 3 months older than Clarkson.

If Clarkson settles into a 6th man role where he comes off the bench, directs the offense and provides some scoring I am sure the Lakers would be ecstatic.....I highly highly doubt he is their starting point guard 1 or 2 or 3 years from now.----I could be wrong- it has happened before- but I just dont see it-

Of course- who knows- maybe he develops a 3 pt shot and works on his handle and does it- but it would be rare for that to happen to a guy in his situation.

No one is claiming that he is an elite player. If you've watched him play these last couple of months though, you can see that he has talent and potential. Where his ceiling is at is certainly unknown. He isn't just a player putting up stats on a bad team.

Curious why you think it is rare for a player to improve his 3 point shot and ball handling abilities, the latter of which are already pretty good.

 

[WiggyRuss]

No one is claiming that he is an elite player. If you've watched him play these last couple of months though, you can see that he has talent and potential. Where his ceiling is at is certainly unknown. He isn't just a player putting up stats on a bad team.

Curious why you think it is rare for a player to improve his 3 point shot and ball handling abilities, the latter of which are already pretty good.

As the Lakers are having perhaps their worst season ever- i have not seen them and they have not been on national TV or even NBA team that much- but i definitely remember watching Clarkson in one of the Cleveland games and thouht that he had a talent for getting to the basket. I did not realize that he is 6' 5" either- i think thats very important because he can play the 2. Also- like i said- you have to absolutely love how he seems to be getting better each month. You also have to love his aggressiveness- you can tell he is not afraid to put the game in his own hands.

The things that I think count against him are- like i said- he is going to be 23 by the end of the NBA season. Obviously when you draft a guy like a Kyrie at the age of 19- he is not physically mature, or mentally mature and has a lot of growing up to do. Clarkson has definitely benefited from not only the colelge experience he had- but the multiple years of physical growth. Also- its going to be important to see what he does when games matter- How much can you trust stats in games like last night where the Clips have a 40 point lead going itno the 4th quarter. There is no doubt a lot of stats are generated in garbage time. Also- when you look around the Lakers roster its pretty barren. We both know that next year if and when they add talent he is not going to be getting near the shots he is getting right now- ESPECIALLY as long as Kobe is there.

In summation- i do agree that he was a very good find in the 2nd round. He has shown that he is a guy who will be an NBA player for a long time and looks like he will have the abbility to contribute on a good team. However- if right now you offered me Clarkson- or Smart or Exum, or Reggie Jackson ( who is about a year older), Schroeder, Oladipo, MCW----id probably still have to take the other guys which shouldnt be a surprise based upon the draft position and athletic ability--- the next group of young PGs with Payton, Harris, Burke, McCollum,- id probably put Clarkson at the head of though....i dont know if that goes without saying or not...

 

[wildturkey]

No one is claiming that he is an elite player. If you've watched him play these last couple of months though, you can see that he has talent and potential. Where his ceiling is at is certainly unknown. He isn't just a player putting up stats on a bad team.

Curious why you think it is rare for a player to improve his 3 point shot and ball handling abilities, the latter of which are already pretty good.

I wouldn't say no one. If you scan places where Lakers fans congregate whether its forums or comment sections on articles, you'll see it. It's mostly just fans desperate for anything positive to hold on to. But Wiggy is actually right for a change. There isn't much to draw from Clarkson right now other than he's proved he can be a rotational NBA player. The fool's gold of "good stats, bad team" could be a real possibility but so could him being a future building block. I just wouldn't write his name down in pen on the roster depth chart and use that in my decision making process for picking guys in FA and the draft. The sample size is just too small, which is a shame because there was really no reason he shouldn't have been playing earlier in the year.

 

[trojanfan12]

not to be a dick...but if anyone is thinking that Clarkson is or can be an elite player from 2 months of playing on a bad team then they just might be severely dissapointed.

I think the kid does some things well- and he has good size which will help if he settles into a combo guard role....but look at all the PGs in the NBA

do you realize how many guys he would have to jump over that are damn good to be considered "elite"? even if it was 5 years down the line- let alone 2 years down the line.

and like i said- this kid has developed physically and emotionally a lot more than a lot of other guys that have come out in his draft class because he stayed in school.

to put it in perspective- Kyrie Irving is in his 4th year in the league and he is only 3 months older than Clarkson.

If Clarkson settles into a 6th man role where he comes off the bench, directs the offense and provides some scoring I am sure the Lakers would be ecstatic.....I highly highly doubt he is their starting point guard 1 or 2 or 3 years from now.----I could be wrong- it has happened before- but I just dont see it-

Of course- who knows- maybe he develops a 3 pt shot and works on his handle and does it- but it would be rare for that to happen to a guy in his situation.

Most rational Lakers fans are happy to see the kid playing well and excited to see what he can be in the future. Personally, I like what I have seen, but as you point out, he's putting up good stats on a bad team.

I don't know if he'll be elite, very good, average or a bust and neither does anyone else. Working in his favor are that he has a good work ethic, he's very coachable and he's not intimidated by anyone. He also wants to get better. After CP3 kicked his ass on Sunday (2pts., 4 rebounds, 3 assists), he asked for a tape of the game so he could see what CP3 did to him and learn from it.

Early returns are favorable, but he certainly wouldn't be the first guy to put up great numbers on a bad team and then all but disappear when there's more talent around him.

I don't think anyone expects him to be the next Kobe, but the next Eddie Jones wouldn't be too bad.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

No one is saying what Clarkson will be, but the smart ones in here is giving props to Clarkson because they see the signs of development which indicates he can become elite and has that possibility which is a hell of a lot more than some of our draft picks in the recent past. No one ever thought Vucevic or Farmar or Turiaf would become elite