Why The Lakers Should Give Jamaal Franklin A Chance
When Kawhi Leonard decided to forgo his final two years at San Diego State and enter the NBA draft, there were many question marks about how the Aztecs would respond, as they lost three other starters. The former NBA Finals MVP led SDSU to their first ever Sweet 16 appearance, where they nearly knocked off the soon-to-be champs UCONN Huskies.
As SDSU battled back to give themselves a three point lead with 9:18 left in the game, Jamaal Franklin, who averaged just eight minutes per game that season, gave Kemba Walker a little shoulder. Walker flopped down to the ground, hit both of his technical free throws, and the Huskies rode that momentum to win the game, and eventually, the national championship. Many people familiar with SDSU basketball would say that Franklin lost the game for his team.
Their was no doubt where the lowly recruited Franklin spent his off-season. In the gym. Franklin’s coach at SDSU, Steve Fisher, said this about his future star player:
"I’ve coached for 40 years. I’ve never had a guy with the spirit, with the commitment, with the will to win more so than him"
Let’s not forget that Fisher has coached players such as Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, and Leonard.
The hard work payed off. After averaging just 3.0 points per game his freshman year, Franklin exploded his sophomore year, averaging 17.4 points 7.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. Not to mention that Franklin is only 6’5″, yet led his team in rebounds. Franklin also won Mountain West Player of the year, and was an honorable mention on the All-American list. The very next season, Franklin averaged 16.9 points, 1.6 steals, and a ridiculous 9.5 rebounds. Franklin led his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
After two impressive seasons, Franklin declared for the NBA draft, as a likely first round draft pick. In fact, ESPN draft expert Chad Ford had Franklin going as high as 17th in the draft, to the Atlanta Hawks.
Draftexpress described Franklin’s strengths as: Physical tools, attacking the rim, offensive versatility, making plays on D, and competitiveness.
However, an ankle injury kept Franklin from participating in the combine. Franklin only worked out for a few teams, and was not 100%. Franklin fell all the way to the 41st pick, selected by the Memphis Grizzlies. This was the worst possible situation for Franklin.
Franklin’s weakness out of college was his outside shooting, as he shot only 27.2% from downtown. At the time, and still to this day, Memphis’ weakness was their lack of three point shooting. Franklin was a high energy, defensive guy who was a poor shooter. Sound familiar? Yeah, Tony Allen rings a bell. Allen, known as the “Grindfather”, nicknamed his new teammate, the “Grindson”.
Franklin saw little playing time in Memphis, simply because his jumper was not very strong, and that is really all they needed. Most of Franklin’s playing time went to Courtney Lee, as his shooting is what sparked the Grizzlies’ bench last year. After hanging around the D-League and sitting the bench in Memphis, Franklin was waived after the season.
Right before the NBA season started, Franklin signed a deal to play in China with the Zhejiang Lions. Franklin was the team’s star, and put up big numbers, including 53 points in late November. Franklin was allowed to sign with NBA teams in January, and ended up on the Los Angeles D-Fenders roster.
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After playing only 13 minutes in his first game, Franklin has shown what he could do in his last two outings. In the last two games, Franklin has averaged 21.5 points on 13-20 shooting and 5-9 from deep, 6.5 assists, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals.
A few things stand out here. The first things is the 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals, showing that Franklin has a high motor and is an energy guy. The most impressive stat is the 5-9 on three-pointers. It does not surprise me that Franklin has improved his range, as his work ethic has been highly noted ever since he walked onto the SDSU campus.
Franklin, however, is not your typically D-League prospect. There are the Manny Harris‘and the Seth Curry‘s, who averaged 25 points per game, but don’t get much interest from NBA teams. But Franklin’s game can translate to the NBA level. Franklin’s athleticism and competitive nature could make him a solid role player at the NBA level, and has the potential to be somewhat of a 2013 version of Jimmy Butler.
This dunk that ended up number one on Sportscenter’s top ten can sum up Franklin’s athleticism. He is a high flyer, but also has a lot of confidence, and isn’t scared of any moment.
So why should the Lakers take a chance on the former Aztec?
When it comes to rebuilding, the most important factor is to have young talent. As of right now, the Lakers have a small number of promising players. Julius Randle is obviously loaded with potential, but as for Jordan Clarkson, it is hard to tell if he is actually looking like a solid NBA player, or just getting major minutes on a terrible team. For Ryan Kelly, he has shown little signs of being the long term “stretch four” that the Lakers hoped for him to be.
Giving Franklin a chance cannot hurt the current Lakers team. With guys like Wayne Ellington and Wesley Johnson‘s contracts expiring after this season, Franklin is a guy that they can hold onto for the next season if he performs well.
Trust me, I have been watching this guy play since he was a freshman in college, and paid close attention to every game he played as a star at SDSU. The guy plays with more heart then anyone I have ever seen at the college level. Not only does he play his heart out to win, but he plays for his teammates as well. He is a guy that you would love to have on your team, and hate to play against.
Players like Franklin are hard to come by these days. Most young guards just want to score, and shoot threes. Franklin will do whatever the coaches tell him, and work on whatever the coaches tell him to work on.
If Franklin continues to work on his jumper, he can be a perfect role player. Franklin has the potential to be an elite defensive player in the NBA with his athleticism combined with his intensity. This is actually a rare combination in the NBA. A perfect example would be Wesley Johnson. Johnson has the athletic ability to be an elite perimeter defender, but he rarely gets into guys’ faces and gets dirty.
On the other hand, Franklin is a guy that can run the lanes and finish among the bigs, plus it is clear that he has worked on his catch and shoot abilities. Franklin would also be a great guy in practice. He can make a player like Nick Young, or possibly the Lakers top five draft pick (D’Angelo Russel), battle every day.
Franklin was put into a bad situation. Memphis was a terrible fit for him as he was unable to show the NBA world what he can do. Franklin is a hard worker, and if given a chance to play for a franchise like the Lakers, his competitiveness and work ethic won’t let him fail.