It’s been an interesting year for Jordan Clarkson. He went from being a second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, to being named to the All-Rookie First Team. Clarkson spent time in the D-League, but he never let that discourage him from working on his game. The young man out of Missouri worked his tail off this past season and it paid off.
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Clarkson is one of the few reasons to be excited about the Lakers this upcoming season. The addition of D’Angelo Russell and the return of Julius Randle give the Lakers a young core they can build around if they develop together.
Next year could be Kobe Bryant last season of his career and while he won’t win a sixth NBA title, he could really help with the development of these young players. Jordan Clarkson wrote a piece for The Player’s Tribune and admitted that his time with Bryant during training camp was a great learning experience:
"It was one of my “Welcome to the NBA” moments. I experienced a few of those moments during my rookie year. I had the unenviable task of guarding Kobe throughout training camp. There aren’t too many guys who get an opportunity to sit down, talk to Kobe and actually pick his brain, but I was afforded this privilege. It was an incredible learning experience for me, to say the least. For all the stories you hear about Kobe talking trash and demanding a lot from his teammates, on many occasions he’s picked us up, too. He leads by example; however, you don’t hear about that much in the media."
The Player’s Tribune gives players an opportunity to tell their story in their own words. Clarkson’s piece was about his rookie year and how it all ended up working out. Clarkson talked about his “Welcome to the NBA” moment when he was matched up with Kobe in training camp and as a young rookie, he was nervous.
Clarkson quickly learned that Kobe was on another level as he hit his patented fall away jumper to start the practice. Clarkson was not intimidated by Bryant, he actually got an opportunity to pick his brain and learn from one of the best of all time. For a second round pick that was looking to lock up a roster spot, the time spent with Bryant was incredibly valuable.
The lazy narrative of Bryant being a bad teammate is absurd. Most players that play with Bryant can tell you that he’s actually a great teammate, but like Clarkson said, you don’t hear the media talking about it at all. So, Clarkson took it upon himself to let everybody know that Bryant is a good teammate that leads by example.