With to a lottery bound record, the Los Angeles Lakers will once again hope to be bad enough to retool their roster through the upcoming draft. There have not been many bright spots for the Lakers since Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles in 2013, but Jordan Clarkson has emerged as one of the best steals in last year’s draft.

Drafted 46th overall, Clarkson has had a rapid rise since becoming the Lakers' starter on January 23rd against the Spurs. 

From October to December, the Missouri guard only managed to play in 16 games. With injuries to veterans Steve Nash, Ronnie Price, and Bryant, Byron Scott was forced to begin playing Clarkson meaningful minutes.

In 19 games as a starter, Clarkson has averaged 14.4 points, 4.1 assists, and shooting at a 45% clip in 30.4 minutes. Furthermore, Scott has no plans to bench him, as Clarkson has been the only constant starter in Scott’s ever changing starting rotation. His per-36 minutes for the season come out to 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. 

Standing 6’5” with a wingspan of 6’8”, the rookie presents a size advantage against other point guards in the league. His lanky build allows him to see over smaller guards in order to make the pass or dissect the defensive scheme. The ability to play both guard positions has allowed Scott to insert him in more lineups than traditional point guards. Additionally, the Lakers have not acquired someone as young and athletic as Clarkson for some time. Here is an example that shows his athleticism and speed from one end to another.

Clarkson’s greatest asset as a player is his speed, and about 21% of the plays he executes are in transition, compiling a 1.16 PPP. This is significant to his development as it shows that he understands his strengths and weaknesses within his gameplay. 

The Filipino-American has always been able to get to the rim at ease. He has attempted the most shots this season within five feet (124). Nowhere else on the court does he even attempt shots at half that amount.  

Even with the improvement Clarkson has shown as the season progresses, he was a second round pick for a reason. In today’s league that relies so much on the three-point shot, he only shoots the three at a 29.7% clip.

Like most young players, Clarkson has a tendency to try to do too much on the floor. During crunch time of last Sunday’s game against Dallas, Clarkson threw up a reckless three-point shot, and turned the ball over to seal the Lakers fate.  

With his rapid development on the court, it would not be surprising to see Clarkson’s shooting numbers and overall gameplay progressively improve as his career comes along. Clarkson has also shown he is very willing to learn, as he reached out to Nash to pick his brain as a point guard. During home-game timeouts, you can see Kobe Bryant educating young Clarkson on the sidelines.

The Lakers are far from a quick fix to get back to relevancy, but promising players like Clarkson certainly show that a rebuild with the franchise exists. Expect the Lakers to pick up his option for next year, and possibly start alongside Kobe Bryant.