LOS ANGELES — Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell might be the two most important players on the Los Angeles Lakers. Both are young, talented and possess several characteristics that are necessary for success in the modern game. Both have certainly struggled to find their way as inexperienced, high-volume options. But more important than their individual statistics is how their on-court chemistry connects, which is crucial for a rebuilding team that hopes to have found its backcourt of the future. Do Russell and Clarkson complement one another? It’s an important question the Lakers’ coaching staff and front office needs to figure out as soon as possible. The good news: The two have recently combined to take a critical step in the right direction. Read rest at link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...n-clarkson-backcourt-showing-promising-future
Interesting tidbit in the article: According to NBA.com, Clarkson shoots 42.3 percent from the floor and 26.5 percent behind the three-point line when Russell is off the floor. Those numbers spike to 45.5 percent and 40.8 (!) percent, respectively, when Russell’s also on the court.
Good to know the numbers back up what most of us were hoping/thinking coming out the draft, especially you @RandleROFY . After my initial disappointment in passing on a more ready-made product, I began to get pretty damn excited about the potential of Clarkson/Russell as a tandem for basically everything the article said. Clarkson isn't really a PG, but he can do some of those duties. I had hoped Russell was a little more PG than he is, but he's more or less another kind of Clarkson. That's not bad per se, it means two shot creators. It just means that the marriage is going to take slightly longer than I had hoped. Instead of having Nash out there we've got another Kyrie, Rose, Wall, Knight, Lillard, etc. type of new age PG which means a guy who primarily can take care of himself, but can also move the ball. In the future, it's going to be awesome seeing those two feed off each other. For now the key is Russell figuring out just when to pick his spots and when to move the ball. He's freaking 19 and he's already showing signs of getting that. It'd be much easier of course if he actually was on the floor more often and specifically more often with Jordan. What I've loved seeing is the cutting that Russell was referring to. Lately the two of them really have clicked on back door, baseline cutting. There was a play two games ago where Jordan dropped an absolutely gorgeous baseline pass to D'Angelo. It was so perfect the defense didn't have close to enough time to adjust. Brilliant and something I'd hoped for all along. The two of them and Julius over the next few years are going to develop brilliant chemistry because while all three have some similar tendencies they also have different skill sets and mentalities. If Byron wasn't the worst coach in basketball I think we'd already be seeing a lot of that kind of growth given the work we know Jordan and Julius put in. D'Angelo says he works just as hard and I look forward to seeing that play out (I believe him, we just literally haven't seen it out of him because he just got here). After he was drafted he started working with Tim D'Francesco (sp?) right away so I'm eager to see that continue this summer. It'll be key for the three of them to hit the gym together this summer, not go anywhere, and really try to learn each other's tendencies on the floor without the presence of Byron to weigh them down.
Agree. Russell and Clarkson need more time together on the court. Russell definitely needs to add some size to his skinny frame. Can't wait to see the work he does with Tim over the summer. Excited about this marriage. Given the weight of this season, and how wayward it has become, I think we'll possibly have to rely on internal improvement from these guys too improve this team.
That's why I keep them separate. Don't want Jordan getting COCKY and feeling good about himself ..... that's how problems start.
