Jordan Clarkson surprised many when he worked his way into becoming a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers and now, the former player from Missouri is setting his sights on a better year for himself and his team.
Selected 46th overall by the Washington Wizards before landing in Los Angeles, Clarkson hardly gained any attention aside from NBA fans in the Philippines, where Clarkson has roots. And as it turned out, Clarkson became the surprise rookie of the season, making it to the All-Rookie First team despite being a late pick.
Clarkson made his impact later on in the season and spent a great deal of timw in the NBA D-League early in the 2014-15 NBA season. But after all that, Clarkson rose above the ranks and fit in perfectly under head coach Byron Scott's system.
He ended up starting 38 games for the Lakers, primarily at point guard, and averaged 15.8 points, five assists and 4.2 rebounds as a starter. Last March 24, he had a season-best game with 30 points and seven assists in a 102–117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Starting alonsgide Jeremy Lin, the pair became the first Asian-American starting backcourt in league history.
Clarkson's rise has become an inspiration for incoming rookies and an example to his new teammate, D'Angelo Russell. Russell was the second overall draft pick of the 2015 NBA Draft Class and is touted as a promising point guard of the future. The duo could spring surprises in the coming NBA season, though Laker fans could probably catch a glimpse of both in the ongoing NBA Summer League.
Clarkson has decided to participate in the summer league to hone and further improve his skills heading into the 2015-16 NBA season.
Last year, Clarkson had put up impressive numbers that include 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Not bad for a rookie. And as such, his story is something any rookie will surely want to take note of.
As part of giving back, Clarkson wrote an interesting piece about his stint last year at the Player's Tribune, something that NBA freshmen should seriously take time out reading.
