With Jordan Clarkson being the biggest surprise in an otherwise forgettable season for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, the consensus seemed to be the team would lean toward selecting a big in the 2015 NBA Draft. Although the Lakers kept everyone guessing up to the second NBA commissioner Adam Silver walked up to the podium on Thursday, Los Angeles ultimately chose to add another backcourt player in D’Angelo Russell.
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Now that Russell is in the fold in Los Angeles, many have wondered how that impacts Clarkson and his role moving forward. All signs point to Russell being the starting floor general for the Lakers while Clarkson shifts over to shooting guard.
Clarkson recently spoke with Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling about the Lakers drafting Russell and what it means for the Lakers backcourt:
JC "I like the pick. I watched him a lot in college. We can play together, can play on or off the ball. We make the backcourt more dynamic."
— Jared Zwerling (@JaredZwerling) June 26, 2015
With both Russell and Clarkson having the ability to play either position in the backcourt, the Lakers are in a win-win situation with arguably two of their most promising young players. Head coach Byron Scott will have a lot of flexibility with these two up-and-comers next season giving him options, but the real question is what to do with Kobe Bryant.
The obvious answer is to shift Bryant to the small forward position and Clarkson believes that’s the way it will go next season, via Zwerling:
Jordan Clarkson told me he envisions a 1 (Russell), 2 (Clarkson) and 3 (Kobe) lineup. With Russell, "We got a lot of room to grow together."
— Jared Zwerling (@JaredZwerling) June 26, 2015
If everything comes together as the Lakers brass hopes it will, the storied franchise could be a competitive squad next season. The next order of business for Los Angeles will be securing the frontcourt with a big-name free agent like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol or DeAndre Jordan.
Although many believed the Lakers only had a shot at signing Love this summer, Aldridge has emerged as a legitimate candidate to be wearing purple and gold next season. The addition to Aldridge along with Russell would definitely make the Lakers a force to be reckoned with in what may be Kobe’s final season in the NBA.
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