It’s time for the Lakers to put D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson on the floor together
The Los Angeles Lakers have assembled a promising young core in the last two seasons and, while not all of them were present for the Rising Stars Challenge over All-Star weekend, the pair who did participate put on a show. Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell had a multitude of highlight plays with both shooting extremely well from deep and racking up assists as well.
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Since Russell became the second pick in the draft, he has been under intense scrutiny by fans and analysts alike. Although he has not performed quite as well as some of his peers, it would be reasonable to assume that is at least partially due to the system he has been forced to play in. Another question, however, has been whether Russell and Clarkson will be able to co-exist in the backcourt for the foreseeable future.
Although the two did not see the court together over the weekend, they both demonstrated the kind of versatility that suggests the two could form a devastating pair of weapons in the backcourt. With both of them able to score from deep, drive, or set up teammates, it’s hard to imagine that they would be unable to function together in a more creative system.
Neither player is fully developed at this point, though they have both shown the ability to affect the game in multiple ways. On top of being prolific scorers, both guards are also impressive rebounders, using their length and athleticism to grab boards and push the ball up the court. On a team playing the type of up-tempo basketball that suits younger teams, this asset could truly work to the team’s advantage.
Additionally, while neither player has shown much on the defensive end as of yet, there is reason to believe they could become a formidable force in that area in the future. Both Lakers guards have good size for either back court position, with their length being especially problematic for smaller point guards. On top of that, both of them move well, with Clarkson’s speed and athleticism being well within the range of elite.
However, for some reason these two budding stars have played together fairly rarely this season. With Byron Scott insisting on keeping veteran Lou Williams in the starting lineup, their ability to build chemistry with one another has been severely compromised. This is an especially strange decision considering the fact that the Lakers have been equally bad, if not worse, with the veterans playing major minutes. This illogical rotation needs to be changed as quickly as possible.
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If Clarkson and Russell continue to develop on the offensive end and take strides forward on defense, they could become one of the most intriguing young back courts in the entire NBA for the Lakers. However, this won’t happen unless they start playing together now. The versatility and skill possessed by these two young players should have fans excited for things to come and clamoring for their coach to start them together now in order to jumpstart the development process.