Jordan Clarkson, someone who no one really cared about a year ago, has made a good account for himself despite the misfortunes of the Los Angeles Lakers.
From a nobody, Clarkson has evolved into a promising guard that the Lakers can look forward to developing.
Clarkson was originally drafted 46th by the Washington Wizards in the 2014 NBA Draft but was later on shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers.
After spending majority of the first half of the regular season in the NBA D-League with the Los Angelers D-Fender, Clarkson ended up as a starter for the Lakers in 38 games. Apparently the injuries to Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin offered an opportunity for Clarkson and the former Tulsa/Missouri cager did not disappoint.
Guided by Scott and Nash, Clarkson showed a lot of promise despite being only in his rookie year. He showed his ability to penetrate and take over when the need arose, bright spots the Lakers can do well to work on.
Clarkson is one of few Lakers that will be kept but the budding 22-year-old cagers who has Filipino blood will need to hone up his skills to blossom into a full-pledged player in the NBA.
Among the things that Clarkson needs to work on include his shooting and decision-making. While Clarkson can shoot the ball, consistency and more work is a need.
When it comes to decision-making, Clarkson somehow carries a daring attitude when the chips are down but ends up not knowing with the spheroid once he finds himself inside enemy territory.
On the defensive side, Clarkson will need to improve on his defensive positioning to properly defend opposing players.
Clarkson stands to be cornerstone for the Los Angeles Lakers but his continued development is a must. He will eventually be one and as he enters his second year, the marked improvements should start to show and render a smile from Scott, Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers' organization moving forward.
