Lakers Road To Relevance: Player Development Must Reign Supreme

Players

In particular, the Lakers young trio of Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Julius Randle will bear much of the responsibility.

While the organizational structure around them is important, much of the burden in achieving success will fall on the shoulders of the players themselves. In particular, the Lakers young trio of Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Julius Randle will bear much of the responsibility.

These three players, all lottery level talents regardless of draft position, each have issues that they must address in order to reach their full potential. They also have strengths that they must take full advantage of if they want to succeed.

Jordan Clarkson

Jordan Clarkson was the first young player to prove to Laker fans that he deserved a significant role on the team going forward. He has already demonstrated improvement in this season, but will need to continue that trend in order to become the player the Lakers will need him to be.

In order to reach his full potential, Clarkson will have to play with consistent aggressiveness, as he has been passive at times this season. His improved three point shot will need to become increasingly reliable as his time in the NBA goes on, as this will allow him to impact the game in a variety of ways.

Most importantly, however, Clarkson must learn to use his tremendous physical abilities to become a true lock-down defender in the back-court.

Next: Julius Randle