Clarkson is the only one of the young players playing with any aggression, decisiveness, and poise. Really maddening knowing he's the only one of them that came to play tonight.
He does have a year of experience compared to the others. But agreed, he comes to play every night and if he doesn't score he tries to be effective elsewhere. He's our best player right now and needs to play 35+
Once again, I gotta give this guy props. He's not only the best, most consistent player on the team, he's also a total team player and consummate professional. His first contract negotiation is coming up (which generally leads to players inflating their stats), and while he could be putting up much larger numbers, which might even lead us to more wins, he instead listens and follows directions without question, doesn't pout, and just does his best to do what is asked of him. How the hell did we luck into him?
I think when you buy a mid second rounder specifically to select a guy who turns out to be one of the 5-10 best players in that draft, it's not luck. I'm sure espn will ignore this when they rank the lakers' FO, though.
JC is by far our best player out there right now. He does nearly everything we can ask and still has the drive to get better. I just want to point out, JC didn't look like this last season 9 games in. It took him the better part of the season to really get it. The speed of the NBA, knowing what to do when, seeing how to attack. We didn't start seeing this JC till the second half of the season. Keep that in mind when evaluating Randall, DAR, and Huertas. They are all essentially NBA rookies, and might need a little time to put it all together. Even Huertas, though I might give him a little less slack because of age and international experience.
He's going to probably be poison pilled I'd think by some team trying to force our hand. In that case he'd start at the MLE-ish for a couple years then balloon to a huge an unmanageable amount.
sadly he is our best player. I love Clarkson but when he is your best player, your team is going to be torched every night.
I don't mind that Clarkson is our best player because he's worked his @#$ off to get there and he'd be a top player on a lot of teams. It's more of a matter of players not playing up to their level or Byron not getting everything he can out of them. Sadly, I feel the players have already given up on Byron. After him having to "scale down" his practices and take time off, that's already a telling sign that the players aren't feeling the coaching style.
Haven't read this yet to give my unsolicited 2 cents. Be careful. Not everything you see on the internet is true. The title seems accurate. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...lly-emerged-as-los-angeles-lakers-best-player Jordan Clarkson Has Officially Emerged as Los Angeles Lakers' Best Player By Michael Pina, Los Angeles Lakers Lead Writer Nov 19, 2015 As it stands, that particular label lacks the prestige it once did, but Clarkson’s blooming gifts have glimmered within the darkness of Los Angeles’ 2-9 start. In a slightly different role from his rookie season, the second-round pick is even more dynamic in year two, as a pure scorer who ends plays from just about any spot on the court. As the Lakers’ current leader in total minutes, shots and points, Clarkson doubles as one of the most effective scorers in the entire league. According to Basketball-Reference.com, among players who average at least 30 minutes per game, Clarkson is one of four who are making at least 44 percent of their threes and 45 percent of their overall field goals. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports According to NBA.com, as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, Clarkson is more efficient than Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Tony Parker (on equal or more attempts). As a spot-up shooter who is knocking down 48.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, he’s averaging more points per possession than Kyle Korver and Dirk Nowitzki. “I’m trying to knock down the open ones,” he said. “The easy ones when I have the opportunity, worrying about taking good shots instead of bad shots. … I’m continuing to grow in that area.” He’s clearly in good company, even if very little of his influence has improved the Lakers’ all-around sorrows. They have the third-worst offense in basketball and score at an even lower rate with Clarkson on the court. But his rapid development can’t be overlooked. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Eleven games into a lost season, embedded within a roster that's already infamous for its toothless pack of “shoot first, ask questions later” hyenas, Clarkson is L.A.'s most reliable guard. If necessary, he can curl around screens and pick defenses apart from behind the three-point line. If asked, he can initiate a passable pick-and-roll-based offense that would make life easier for his teammates. But the pieces around him don’t complement his skill set, and in many ways that makes Clarkson’s shooting splits even more impressive. After finishing at about a league-average clip in the restricted area as a rookie, Clarkson still lives around the basket (Russell Westbrook and Monta Ellis earn about the same percentage of their points in the paint as the Lakers guard does). But, simultaneously, he’s diversifying his shot selection by drifting a bit farther from the rim. So far, he’s made 54.5 percent of his shots within eight feet of the hoop, according to NBA.com. He's also shooting a ridiculous 57.7 percent in the non-restricted area of the paint. Those are tricky shots that require an insane level of improvisation. It’s unteachable creativity, and Clarkson has more than enough. “I feel myself letting the plays happen more than anticipating the play and forcing it,” he said. “I see a lot of things. The game is a lot slower.” That patience really shows. Instead of hammering his way into the teeth of the defense, he’s herky-jerky with head fakes, hesitation dribbles and agile, controlled movement. He has no problem changing direction on the fly, and he caps off slithery forays with plush touch. Out of all the players who average at least six drives per game, only Goran Dragic, Wade and John Wall are more accurate than Clarkson’s 57.5 percent. Here’s an example: NBA.com Jordan Clarkson is a magician. The Lakers need him to make these types of plays because, well, nobody on the team can do so without being predictable. But there’s a cost, and a fear, that Clarkson is turning into more of a one-dimensional device than the playmaker he can be. With D’Angelo Russell and Lou Williams in the mix, more and more he finds himself working away from the action, and adopting a different role isn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially for a 23-year-old who doesn’t even have 50 starts under his belt. There are definite growing pains. “I’m playing a lot more off the ball, so it’s kind of a different aspect for me in terms of trying to get assists and stuff because I have such an aggressive mindset playing the 2-guard,” Clarkson said. “But I need to find a way to balance that out and get my teammates involved as well.” Clarkson’s assist percentage is literally half what it was last year, but he doesn’t stop the ball so much as he continuously keeps the defense on its heels. He probes to score and requires the narrowest of angles to get up a quality shot. NBA.com Jordan Clarkson is still a magician. It’s a pretty floor game, but similar to all but one or two guys on this Lakers team, defense is Clarkson’s Achilles’ heel. He’s decent on the ball, with quick hands, quicker feet and fluid reflexes. But too often he’ll die on a screen, almost like he isn’t sure whether he’s supposed to slide above or dive below. Clarkson is also one reason why L.A.’s transition defense is so horrendous. Sometimes, it’s because he’s out of position when a teammate gets a shot up. Sometimes, it’s because he wants to needlessly dive in for an offensive rebound. And sometimes, when he misses the shot, Clarkson’s drives leave the Lakers susceptible to five-on-four breaks the other way. He’s young, though, and most of his weaknesses on this side of the ball are correctable. “I feel like my defense has grown a lot,” Clarkson said. “I still have strides to make. The big thing for me, since I’m playing the off-ball position [is] post defense, trying not to let guys score on me on the block. Now it’s just kind of playing help side and helping my teammates and keeping guys out the lane.” He isn’t particularly strong for a wing, but Clarkson has held his own against some of the league’s better post-scoring guards. Here he is against Dallas’ Wesley Matthews: NBA.com Clarkson can't be bullied in the post. When engaged and trying to stop his man from a direct basket, Clarkson is solid. But problems pop up in knowing when to dig on a post up or slide off his man to tag a rolling big. Again, those are correctable. He’s still so inexperienced, playing in an environment that's never been confused for a warm incubator. Clarkson's overall game is on an upward trajectory, though. As the Lakers crawl through what will probably be Kobe Bryant’s final season, they should savor and embrace every reason for optimism they can find. And Clarkson's emergence is a reason to be hopeful for the future. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats are accurate as of Nov. 19.
JC has got to be more aggressive. I like that he lets everything come to him, but with his efficiency has to be much more involved in our offense.
I think theres should be a rule on the team that Clarkson has to take at least 20 shots in a game. They ain't winning eitherway, so at least I want Clarkson to get used being the leading scorer of this team THIS season.
I think it has to be hard finding a balance out there with Randle wanting the ball every time, Kobe needing to get shots, and now Russell needing/being allowed to be featured more. JC is aggressive, but there are only so many shots to go around with the starters. It's lucky we have Hibbert there, who doesn't seem to care if he gets shots or not.
Agreed. But honestly at this point, Randle and Kobe should take a step back then if it means more shots for JC. His efficiency dwarfs theirs. The only guys that should have the ball as much as JC is Russell.
