Quit Playing: Jordan Clarkson is the Future Point Guard For The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers need to look no further; they have found their future point guard in Jordan Clarkson

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Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers started off the season losing nine out of their first 10 games, the focus has seemingly been about three things: how much longer will Kobe Bryant stick around, which college star will the Lakers draft and which prized free agents will Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers lure in the offseason.

And as of April 8, those three things are in the forefront of everyone who is associated with the Lakers’ minds, as they currently have the fourth-worst record in the NBA and are primed to have a top-five pick and a bevy of salary cap space to work with come June and July.

With so much optimism and flexibility on the horizon, rumors of the Lakers making a push for guards Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell in either free agency or the draft. However, that talk should die down considering that the Lakers have found their point of guard of the future in Jordan Clarkson.

However, that talk should die down considering that the Lakers have found their point of guard of the future in Jordan Clarkson.

Clarkson, who has been the lone bright spot for the Lakers during the tail end of this season, has proven over the past couple of months that he is a deceptively explosive guard capable of creating for himself and others. Since his first start on Jan. 25, Clarkson has scored at least 15 points in 19 of 33 games and has had 17 games where he has accumulated at least five assists.

Rondo on the other hand, has had only two games in which he has scored at least 15 points since Jan. 25 (24 games) and also 16 games where he has had at least five assists.

Looking beyond that sample size, Clarkson has been far more efficient than Rondo this season as evidenced by his 16.86 player efficiency rating (PER) and Rondo’s 13.20 PER, despite Rondo having the luxury of playing on the seventh-best team (as of April 8) in the Western Conference, with the likes Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis, all of whom average more than 15 points per game.

While Rondo has played more games where he has had 20 or more minutes, his and Clarkson’s Player Impact Estimate (PIE) are identical at 10.7. What that means is that both players have the same percentage of game events achieved, despite the fact that PIE is substantially linked to the team winning—which is something the Lakers haven’t done often this season.

Furthermore, Clarkson seems to be a better fit with Kobe and the Lakers moving forward. Clarkson will turn 23 in June, whereas Rondo turned 29 in February, meaning if Kobe stays one or two more years, Rondo will inherit the team on the wrong side of 30, as opposed to Clarkson who should be hitting his stride at 25 or 26.

The same logic should apply for Dragic, should the Lakers pursue the 28-year-old Dragic. Outside of age, Dragic and Rondo are both ball-dominant guards, a style that may not sit well with Bryant, a guard who had an astronomical user rate of 35 percent this season.

Moreover, the midrange area of the floor, where Bryant loves to operate, will be clogged if the Lakers decide to pair Rondo or Dragic in the backcourt with him. Among the trio of Clarkson, Rondo and Dragic, Clarkson takes the least amount shots within 14 feet of the basket, whereas Dragic, who is the most able 3-point shooter, lives in that area, taking 62.1 percent of his shots in that area.

Although Rondo and Dragic are averaging more assists than Clarkson since the all-star break, the discrepancy isn’t that steep as Clarkson is averaging 5.1 assists per game, Dragic is at 5.4, and Rondo is at 6.4. Conversely, the rookie is averaging the least amount of turnovers per game in that span with 2.2.

Away from current NBA stars, there have been rumblings of the Lakers selecting Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell in the draft if they miss out on Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, but with Russell’s style of play, the Lakers are better off putting their future in the hands of Clarkson.

Clarkson not only has the edge on Russell athletically, but Clarkson also takes better shots, which bodes well with Bryant still in the fold. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, an astounding 20 percent of his 3-point shots were from 25 feet or further, when the college 3-point line is about 22 feet away from the basket. In terms of scoring, Russell’s lack of athleticism can make his simple situations laborious (albeit marvelous) for him, where on the other hand, Clarkson’s offensive comes a little easier.

Much like Clarkson, however, Russell still has a ton of room to grow and evolve based on the roster that whichever team surrounds him with. But with the pieces that Lakers have in place, Clarkson seems to be the better fit.

It remains to be seen whether or not Clarkson can sustain and build upon his individual success, given the small sample size he has provided this season, but he has displayed the diverse set of skills thus far for the Lakers to hand him the reigns to the team moving forward.

Next: Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook could end up in LA

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