Jordan Clarkson Discussion: Sky's the limit!

There's was a piece written by Ding last year that I posted in the Draft thread about our scouting department. It will give you a little more insight...

 

It's all good: Lakers lose, and Jordan Clarkson puts on a show
MIKE BRESNAHANcontact the reporter

Ping ping Ping. Ping ping ping.

Clarkson had just scored a career-high 25 points and added six assists against the NBA's top defense statistically, painting another coat on an already promising rookie season while creating quite the melody of text messages from friends and family as he sat in front of his locker.



The Lakers lost an effort-filled game to the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-90, what would normally qualify as a bad loss because they led by eight near the midpoint of the fourth quarter.


But are there really "bad losses" these days for the Lakers, keepers of the NBA's fourth-worst record (16-45) almost 3½ months from draft day?

With Julius Randle sidelined since opening night because of a broken leg, Clarkson has become the face of hope for a franchise in need of it.

The reverence he received Friday at FedEx Forum came in the form of one of the league's best defenders.

Clarkson scored at will on Courtney Lee and sometimes Mike Conley, prompting a Grizzlies fan to yell "Who are you?" as he took a rest with 23 points and five assists midway through the third quarter.

Tony Allen started matching up against him in the fourth, ending Clarkson's burst. It also opened up a new concept in Clarkson's brief 18-game run as an NBA starting point guard.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com


http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-lakers-grizzlies-20150307-story.html

 

I'm so glad we got the best PG in the 2014 draft (and perhaps the best PF too)

 

^ i agree, hell no to Dragic/Rondo, especially if we strike out on Okafor/Towns.

We should see how Clarkson, Randle and our pick develops and use that cap space for the 2016 offseason.

 

I'd be ok with not throwing a max at a PG in that scenario, but we still need to try to field the best team we can next year because jobs are on the line in the front office and we don't keep our draft pick. Getting a quality starting SF who will be here for the long haul would be a must. I'd also get a vet PG who can split the minutes with JC and help mentor him...maybe Nelson. He'd be cheap and could be a stop gap till we get a max PG.

Cause even with the three kids, we need to have as attractive of a team as possible for upcoming FAs. Just having roster space isn't enough.

 

A backcourt starting with Clarkson and Kobe is pretty decent. If we sign Jeremy for MLE along with another solid vet guard, the backcourt would no longer be our glaring weakness.

As JSM mentioned, if we are throwing a max on one player, it should be a SF, not a PG. And if we end up drafting Stanley Johnson, we should probably keep that cap space for 2016, and sign a bunch of vets this year.

 

'Basically, the same as Lin was. A team can offer him around the mle for year one, a small raise in year two, and then up to the max in years three and four. They have to have enough cap room to cover the average of the contract, and it counts as such against the cap for them. Lakers can match and the actual salary counts against their cap.

Basically, LA won't have to pay more than mle level money for him until 2018.'

From another forum regarding Jordan Clarkson's contract situation in case anybody was wondering...

 

Just for something uplifting in the midst of a tanktastic season here are JC's highlights thus far. I love that the Lakers had to go out and buy a pick to specifically get JC; they didn't just luck into him. They identified an undervalued talent and were willing to spend the cash to get him. Huge win for the franchise.

 

Someone's prob already said yhis somewhere but Jordan's performance and improvement would be impressive for a top 5 pick. This guy gets after it out there and he really looks in control while doing it. The change in speed, cuts to the bucket (even without the ball--reminds me a little of Ray Allen), and his stop and pop jumpers. That's not rookie level body control. not to mention the creative ways he scores (mini hook).

 

Who the hell is Jesus Gomez writing for SBNation? He writes an article with the correct title of "Jordan Clarkson is looking like a steal for the Lakers" and then proceeds to write a lazy, facts wrong, full of bad takes ......piece of crap instead. Highlighted in red are what caught my eye as indicative it was a crap article.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/3/7/8167835/jordan-clarkson-career-high-lakers

Jordan Clarkson is looking like a steal for the Lakers
By Jesus Gomez  @JejeGomez_PtR on Mar 7, 2015, 5:01p 26


Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

If the rookie guard keeps thriving, he could have a future with the Lakers.

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Being in the right place at the right time can make a player's career. Jordan Clarkson is in the right place at the right time. The second-round pick from Missouri toiled in the D-League before catching the eye of the Los Angeles Lakers. Once he arrived, the season was already over, and coach Byron Scott was not a big Jeremy Lin fan. Minutes opened up for the 22-year-old rookie, who is making the best out of the situation and playing himself into a guaranteed deal next season.

Clarkson's 9.3 points in 20.5 minutes per game don't tell the whole story -- he's thrived in a bigger role recently. Against the Grizzlies on Friday he scored a career-high 25 points, dished out six assists and pulled down four rebounds in 36 minutes of action. While those numbers are not common for him, Clarkson has improved over the course of the season. Since the All-Star break he's averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists on just under 30 minutes per game. Those are solid numbers for anyone, but especially for a rookie.

Clarkson doesn't look like long-term starter material, especially with the league teeming with quality point guards, and the Lakers will surely try to upgrade at his position. It was obvious during the final stretch of the game Friday, when the Grizzlies put Tony Allenon Clarkson, that he's not a starter and probably will never be a go-to scorer in this league. Yet it wouldn't be surprising to see him stick around in L.A. as a backup. "He’s learning he can play in this league at a very high level," Byron Scott told the Daily News. "He’s also learning the last three or four minutes of the game is where he has to be at his best."

Scoring point guards are not a hot commodity because of how easy they are to find, but by guaranteeing Clarkson's contract the Lakers can have one who knows their system, has the trust of the coach and plays for the minimum salary. In a smaller role, without the responsibility to be "the guy," Clarkson could thrive. If that happens, this lost season could prove more valuable than initially thought. The youth movement will start with a potential top-five pick in the 2015 draft -- the real prize of one of the worst years in Lakers history -- and the return of Julius Randle. Adding Clarkson to that group, even as a peripheral piece similar to Ryan Kelly, could allow the Lakers to focus all of their resources in getting the stars the team needs.

The Lakers were smart to use this season as a tryout for young, cheap rotation players. Improbably, that categorization could apply to Jordan Clarkson if he can continue to play like he has over the past couple of weeks.