Modern National Basteball Association defenses are built to take away specific kinds of shots.
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“It’s all two points”, Clarkson said.
When you think about the current state of the National Basteball Association you have to have solid perimeter play especially at the point. Once he learns the system he will be risky in pick-and-rolls, Pick-and-pops, screen-and-rolls and pretty much any offensive set he’s put in. It can be crowded. He’s averaged 9.0 points, hasn’t gotten out in transition much at all (he did well running the floor last summer), and has made just 5-of-17 from the field. The Lakers have 12 players with fully or partially guaranteed contracts and while both Clarkson and Tarik Black have non-guaranteed deals, they will definitely be on the roster which leaves only one spot left.
As a Laker fan myself, I’m excited to see what these young guys can do. Or better yet, could all three combine forces and become Los Angeles’s equivalent of the Justice League? If Clarkson blinks, expect his playing time to diminish.
It wasn’t the speed, strength or athleticism of the opponents that bothered him. It’s naturally going to take him some time to get comfortable to the National Basteball Association setting. I play for us and my family, and my teammates. “It’s slowing down… the game comes slow to me, when I just slow it down and relax, it’s easier”. Key components are D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Jabari Brown, and Randle. Young had a very good year under Mike D’Antoni, his first with the Lakers, but injuries and playing under a clueless coach and next to Kobe Bryant (although the two didn’t share the court a whole lot) didn’t really help out his career, dropping to 13.4 points per game. The nature of the Lakers’ backcourt rotation, however, could make it more hard for Clarkson to pursue midrange jumpers with the same abandon.
Russell’s also been impressive in the rebounding department, which is something that would ideally carry over into the regular season when he’s going up against a higher level of physicality. That sort of dunk doesn’t happen everyday – not even in the National Basteball Association. The next part of Clarkson’s progression will come in making the right plays after forcing defensive commitment-the process of turning a single skill into a mechanism to open up the offense. The Larry Nance Jr. pick was questioned by many, but he has shown his willingness to play with high energy and go all-out on every possession. He speaks of learning from his mistakes, but the process of feeling out the space and pace of the summer league game isn’t showing the lessons as successful. “I wouldn’t say it’s a whole lot of pressure, it’s just more like, I got to get it done”.
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What do you guys think?
