Ever since he was named a starter before the Los Angeles Lakers game against the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson has been one of the few bright spots for a Lakers team that has lost 14 of their last 15 games.
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Tuesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets, however, was not one of Clarkson’s finer performances as Ty Lawson torched him for 32 points and 16 rebounds leading to Byron Scott benching Clarkson down the stretch. Scott explained his reason for benching Clarkson according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Scott on subbing Lin in for Clarkson at 1:11: "The fact that he wasn't guarding him (Lawson), giving him too much space, too much respect."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 11, 2015
Clarkson has faced off with the likes of John Wall, Tony Parker, and Kyrie Irving, but Lawson definitely seemed to give him the most trouble so far. For his part, Clarkson did agree with Scott’s assessment of his defense via Winters:
"I was terrible on defense tonight." – Jordan Clarkson
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 11, 2015
At 6’5″ and blessed with excellent speed and lateral quickness, Clarkson has all of the physical tools necessary to be a great defender. Mentally, however, is where he struggles and experienced players can take advantage of him much like Lawson did.
With Byron Scott, defense is always the most important thing. Even though Clarkson might struggle with decision making on offense, his defense can not afford to slip and his game against the Nuggets was an example of that.
[divide]Jordan Clarkson Says Guarding Ty Lawson Was A “Welcome To The NBA” Moment For Him