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Lakers: Jordan Clarkson Could Be the Next Monta Ellis, And It’s Not a Good Thing

By Eric Yee

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Could Lakers second year man, Jordan Clarkson, fall victim to what happened to Monta Ellis on the Warriors?

The saying goes, when it comes to coincidence, the universe is rarely so lazy. That said, the similarities between the situation that the Warriors found themselves in with Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis in 2012, and the situation that the Lakers currently find themselves in with D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson are there if you look hard enough.

It is difficult to imagine a time when the Golden State Warriors weren’t demolishing teams by 30, Steph wasn’t toying with defender’s emotions, Harrison Barnes wasn’t crushing poster dunks, but any real NBA fan knows that they were far from an over night success.

Looking back just eight years ago, the Warriors had Baron Davis at the helm in their orange and navy jerseys, and were a lowly eighth seed trying to dethrone the Dallas Mavericks. 2008 marked their “We Believe,” campaign and put Golden State fans on the map as some of the best in the league.

Fast forward to four years later, Golden State had still only won 23 of their 66 games and two years ago they were ousted in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers. While success didn’t come overnight, in a four year span, the Golden State Warriors completely changed their fortunes, but the question remains how did they do it?

In a concise, extremely surface level, TL;DR version of the Warriors path to success, it went as follows:

  1. They traded Monta Ellis, allowing Stephen Curry to take full control of the team
  2. Changed coaches to put their players in a better position to succeed
  3. Developed and kept their core together who understand “The Secret”

The last two will be discussed later, but regardless, the plan was all set in motion by the front office’s decision to let Monta go.

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In 2012, the Warriors traded Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, a trade that is still paying dividends to this day.

Similar to the Lakers when they drafted Russell despite having Clarkson, in 2009 Golden State drafted Stephen Curry under the assumption that he could play alongside Monta Ellis, who was their star player at the time.

After almost three full seasons together, the Warriors decided it was time to give Stephen Curry the reigns which is ironic considering he was coming off of a season where he only played 26 games.

That said, diving into the similarities, could the Lakers have the next Ellis-Curry power struggle with their two studs Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell? Currently the answer is no, but down the line, it is possible that a similar situation arises.

Let’s face it, even though fans would like to compare him to Russell Westbrook, solely on account of his mild demeanor, Clarkson is more Ellis than Russ. Like Ellis, Clarkson is a slashing guard with an improving jump shot who uses his athleticism and quickness to get the rim and exploit the mid range. Further, if given the time, but more so, proper guidance, Clarkson could become the explosive scorer that Ellis was.

In regards to D’Angelo Russell, his pre-draft doppelganger was Stephen Curry, and this comparison makes more sense than the Jalen Rose-esque pairing of Clarkson and Westbrook.

Yes, Steph played three years in college where he lit it up for over 25+ a game, but it’s not simply their scoring that warrants the comparison. If you watch both play, you’ll quickly realize that they move with a certain poise and control that other players, especially young players, do not possess (see rookie John Wall).

Often times, rookies come into the league, with only one speed (Julius Randle), unbeknownst to the fact that shifting gears is an invaluable trait in the NBA. Further, it is only with time, experience and the confidence of their coaches and teammates that this epiphany is realized.

The fact that D’Angelo Russell already possesses this skill makes him light years ahead of his rookie counter parts and expands his ceiling that much higher. Per 36, Russell and Steph’s rookie year stats are comparable, though Steph’s were definitely better, but Steph also wasn’t playing with Kobe Bryant and getting coached by Byron Scott.

Come next season or the season after, assuming Los Angeles re-signs Clarkson, if the Lakers are still floundering having given the duo a chance to thrive, do they decide to bite the bullet and ship Clarkson out for some assets in order to see what Russell can really do?

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One of the reasons this becomes an issue is because both players are most effective with the ball in their hands. Whether it be making plays for others in Russell’s case, or scoring in Clarkson’s case, there just may not be enough ball to go around.

Further, playing one off the bench seems counter productive when you consider the fact that you could trade Clarkson for players that would immediately help the team.

For example, if the Lakers were able to get a starting center plus pieces back for Jordan Clarkson just like the Warriors did with Ellis, you better bet that they take time to weigh their options before making their decision.

All in all, realistically, while the similarities are there, so are the differences. For instance, Monta was traded from the Warriors to the Bucks in his seventh NBA season, meaning his potential was almost fully actualized, while Clarkson is still just in his second year in the league.

Further, the slight age gap between Russell and Clarkson will allow them to grow together, a luxury which the duo of Curry and Ellis didn’t have. More over, this is in no way a prediction of things to come, rather an idea of what could happen to the Lakers considering their current roster situation.

There is no qualm between D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, on the contary they actually like each other a lot, but the fact remains both are ball dominant players who would bring in a decent sized haul if traded.

Next: D'Angelo Russell Sings Lady Gaga In Postgame Interview

Whether or not Clarkson-Russell eventually becomes Ellis-Curry, we’ll just have to wait and see, but if it does, it will be interesting to watch how the Lakers’ front office handles their situation.

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