After a short stint with the Missouri Tigers, Jordan Clarkson believed he had done enough to prove he was worthy of being picked in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Clarkson, however, fell to the second round with the Los Angeles Lakers taking a chance on him by purchasing the 46th pick from the Washington Wizards.
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Only a few years later, Clarkson has proven to be one of the steals of the 2014 draft class. The 24-year-old has played so well in fact that he’s considered a vital part of the future of the Lakers franchise having signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the team last summer.
In a recent interview with Owen Marsden of Flaunt Magazine, Clarkson talked about what motivates him as he continues his NBA journey with the Lakers:
“I’m motivated by winning,” Clarkson tells me. “Winning for my team to be honest with you. I wanna see all my teammates do well and the only way we can do that is by winning. As for myself, I got a family to feed and this is the only way I know how to do that. Plus I want to be great, and those go hand in hand.”
Although Clarkson isn’t playing as well as he’d probably like this season with the Lakers, the third-year guard is still considered to be one of the better players on the squad. The Missouri product is figuring out how to be successful in Luke Walton’s system and adjust to the bench role after being a starter for the majority of the last two seasons in Los Angeles.
As a player never satisfied with play and always striving to improve in as many areas as possible, Clarkson’s work ethic has been one of the primary attributes for his success. As long as he never loses the desire to be great and is relentless in his pursuit to be better, the future remains bright for the former second-round pick.