After the Los Angeles Lakers announced Kobe Bryant would miss the remainder of the 2014-15 NBA season, head coach Byron Scott made changes to his starting lineup which featured rookie, Jordan Clarkson. With the Lakers near the bottom of the standings, Clarkson has been given a grand opportunity to develop.
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With the Lakers on their annual Grammy Trip, Clarkson talked about being the starting point guard with Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“I’m just learning,” Clarkson said. “I’m not scared of anything. I’m going to go out there and compete every night.”
In a time when point guards are dominating the NBA, Clarkson wants to be one of the best and appreciates the opportunity his head coach is giving him at this point of the season, via Medina:
“I want to be great and be one of the best guys in the league. Hopefully that happens,” Clarkson said. “I’m still young and got a long way to go. I’m just trying to get better every day. I appreciate coach for what he did and not just throwing me in the fire from the jump and letting me play. I was able to learn. Now I’m going to enjoy the process and continue to work.”
After Jeremy Lin and Ronnie Price started alongside Kobe Bryant for most the season, Clarkson is averaging 14.8 points in his first five starts of his career. While Clarkson has shown the ability to score the basketball, he is only averaging 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34.2 minutes.
While the Lakers are headed to the NBA lottery for the second consecutive season, developing Clarkson and their young prospects at this stage of the season will benefit the team long-term.
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