Jordan Clarkson Discussion: Sky's the limit!

He's looked like a 5 year vet playing with the D League the first two nights. Decent decision making, good shooting, some clutch plan and his long shot looks improved.

 

Because being a franchise player for the Lakers means being a 1st ballot HOFer and would automatically ignite a comparison to Kobe, Magic or West.

 

I think he not only has to make the playoffs first, but perform in them.

He's started approximately 40 games for one of the teams with the worst record in the league. It's not time for that quite yet.

 

I have a special love for smooth, great athletes. Kobe comes to mind with the precision of his moves and grace with his movements. Clarkson's got that "smooth" superior athlete look to him. I'm really really impressed with how much he has improved both skills wise and even athletically since the end of the season. He's quicker and he's a force physically now too. Wow!

 

I don't think this is what it is.

I think that most of us are scared to believe that we'd find a great guard so fast. We are used to disappointment and spoiled by Kobe.

 

I am taking you meant Russel?

 

Sure, they can run a fast break. Every team does. I'm not sure why you'd phrase it that way, because most fast breaks come as a result of defense creating a turnover or getting a stop, and I was referring to our actual offensive/defensive sets. Look at Indiana. They were in the bottom 5-10 in pace nearly every season with Hibbert. I apologize for explaining common sense that I'm sure you're aware of, but they utilized a slow pace and focused on halfcourt sets so that they would be in position to get back and set up on defense, so that they could take full advantage of Roy's rim protection. I don't think Mitch would trade for his 15M contract as our main acquisition this offseason and not tell Byron to make sure we play at a pace that allows us to utilize that rim protection. Roy isn't the fastest guy in the league, we aren't going to run and gun and basically take him out of the game.

I expect us to be #20-#30 in pace, with most of our plays being drawn up for the guys that thrive in the halfcourt. I expect to see Russell bringing the ball up a lot and setting guys up, I expect Kobe to do what Kobe does in the halfcourt when the ball is in his hands or comes his way because of a broken play. That isn't to say that Clarkson can't thrive in the halfcourt too, but so far he seems to really shine when he attacks before the defense gets a chance to set up, and I don't expect him to have the ball in his hands a lot if all goes well with Russell and Kobe. Hopefully Byron & his staff do a great job with rotations. Ideally Clarkson will never be on the bench at the same time as Hibbert or Russell, but even then you have the microwave Lou Will as the first option off the bench, and Young who will always find a way to put up shots. Last season JC found himself on a team where Young & Jordan Hill were the next best scorers. I see this seasons team being much different than last seasons, we should have plenty of guys that can score and a PG with elite passing ability that creates buckets for everyone.

What I'd absolutely love to see is JC spending this season focusing on becoming an elite defender. I don't think Russell or Randle will have much impact on defense this season, and we know Kobe's days of playing D are long gone. I think that's how he could make the biggest contribution to the team this season/the most important attribute he could add to his game. We know he can score, pass, and rebound at an above average rate for a 6'4 guard going into his second season. If he's able to become a defensive stopper too, he has true Franchise Player potential moving forward. Not to mention, it'd probably be his best bet to take minutes away from Lou, Russell, Kobe this season. I expect pure scoring from Lou and the latter pair to be able to score and rack up assists. JC can do that too obviously, but if he focuses on defense, there's going to be situations where we need him on the floor more than those guys.

 

If he plays like this against the Warriors/Cavs/Spurs/Bulls/Thunder ect. I think we can talk about him being a franchise type player.
That being said, I don't care what hes tagged, I just enjoy watching him develop and Im stoked to be watching games with my friends
and cheering more than jeering. Clarkson is the main reason why. Russell has a ways to go, but you can see he will be good. Randle
will need the most time IMO. But he is built like a machine and works hard so Im confident he will be a stud.

 

Clarkson's one character is a smooth athlete, similar to Kobe's style, but not as good as an athlete Kobe is. He remind me a lot of Eddie Jones. Right now, his finish of penetration and jumper still need work. I hope he can learn more scoring skills from Kobe.

Clarkson's another character is balance of aggressiveness and don't force things. He keep attacking the rim but also move the ball well. He has good feel of the game and good version of the court. I really hope that he can learn more playmaking and tempo control skill from Nash.

One more thing he need to work is defense.

The physical tools, the court version are all there. I really like his aggressive but not that ball dominated style. Hope he can further develop into our backcourt of future

 

I think that is a general conception though. Players are set to a much higher standard for storied franchises like the Lakers (or the Yankees in baseball) It's just how it is.

As for Clarkson becoming that next Lakers megastar, I don't even see a glimpse of it right now. I just see a guard that can score 15-22 pts a game rather efficiently. He's not even on a Monta Ellis level yet. Once he starts to dominate games with 40+ point performances, then we can start talking. But for now, he is just a good (not great) player.

 

I don't like the term "franchise player". Players that can turn franchises around are few and far between and at any given time there are 3 or 4 of them in the league. It seems that the term gets attached to whomever is the best player for any team and that's now what I think of when I think "franchise player".

Clarkson has a fairly high limit IMO. He's a much different player than Kobe. The comparisons will be there I suppose, but only by the ill informed and the media. Wait, was that a redundancy?

 

Hey, it wasn't nothing! That pick cost, like, 50 bucks!

 

With Kobe (and hopefuly Nash) around... watch out. 2 young talented guards learning from 2 back court geniuses