Build Around Or With Jordan Clarkson? Who Cares, Just Build…

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Since the first days of positive contributions from the rook, Byron Scott has actively tried to pump the brakes on Clarkson hype, to keep both expectations and the rook’s ego from ballooning out of control. “I do know that this kid will be on our team next year,” Scott said following Friday’s loss to Portland, a game in which Clarkson (27 points, 12-20 shooting) was the only thing keeping the Lakers competitive in what would become a 30-point loss. Nice to hear, but that part everyone had already figured out.

It’s fun to kick around what Clarkson might be, and I’m sure the Lakers would appreciate a crystal ball providing a definitive answer. After 33 games as a starting guard, it’s obvious the kid has NBA talent. To what end, though, it’s impossible to say. The good news is that the answer, no matter where it lands on the scale of successful NBA players, shouldn’t limit what the Lakers ought to do this summer.

The roster currently has two guys anyone would consider solid bets to be with the team over three seasons from now: Clarkson and Julius Randle. That’s it. So when Scott says “I don’t think we necessarily are saying we’re building around him, but we’re adding pieces with him,” he’s exactly right, because the distinction is virtually irrelevant. The Lakers need as many good players as they can possibly find, in the draft and through free agency. If the point guard is the best player on the board when their pick rolls around (I’ll pause as you knock wood), take the point guard, and let Clarkson play the 2. Like a big? Take a big. Want a wing? Grab a wing? Save a slightly undersized power forward who likely can’t function as a center and is too big for the 3 — that would be Randle — it’s basically impossible for the Lakers to create positional redundancy. 

They can draft a point and sign another, particularly if either/both can defend 2’s, and be set with their three-guard rotation of the future. Drafting a center doesn’t preclude them from signing another big. The Lakers ought to be in the business of accumulating as many talented players as possible, and if the fit isn’t perfect, that can be solved down the road. But too many things can change in the time between when the Lakers are building to become good and actually get there for them to be overly concerned with roster construction now. Get as many good, young players as possible, sort the rest out later.

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In today’s NBA, it’s very hard to jump the line when it comes to rebuilding. To some degree, the Lakers tried to in courting Carmelo Anthony, and in the end dodged a bullet. Imagine what the near future would look like built around a 30-plus Melo with his body breaking down next to one more year of Kobe, and perhaps two more of Pau Gasol, who might (might) have been more willing to re-sign had Anthony chosen L.A.. Pau has looked great in Chicago, but his success isn’t reflective of what it would have looked like had he stayed, surrounded by far less talent and defensive support.

No thank you.

This year’s line-jumping Melo figure is Rajon Rondo, an aging player heading down the productivity mountain rather than up. Yes, he has championship experience and name branding, but everything about him over the last three seasons suggests a player in decline… and he won’t come cheap.

Again, no thank you.

The Lakers instead are fortunate to be in a place where they can play a version of NBA Tinder. They’re swiping left and right, sifting through the chaff to locate the wheat. This lottery pick can truly be anything they want it to be. They’re not limited by preexisting roster considerations, and shouldn’t make themselves feel that way over a guy who hasn’t played a full season’s worth of games, nor spent a day in the NBA playing next to the quality teammates the Lakers ultimately hope to surround him (and Randle) with. Clarkson might turn out to be a quality rotation player. Maybe he’s a high octane, instant-offense sixth man. Maybe a solid starter, or even an All-Star. It’s too early to tell.

All the Lakers need to know: Clarkson represents a home run with the 46th pick. The problem for now isn’t figuring out whether it’s a solo shot or a grand slam, it’s that don’t have other guys they can send to the plate.

Lakers Rookie Jordan Clarkson Nears Triple-Double, Says Kobe Bryant Told Him