With strong play, Jordan Clarkson is showing the Lakers front office why he deserves his next big contract
Recently, we addressed Jordan Clarkson’s sophomore slump something which he must have assuredly read because in the month of February the second year guard is on an absolute tear.
Per Lakers reporter, Mike Trudell, Clarkson is averaging 18.1 points on nearly 53 percent shooting, 50 percent from down town. Similar to last season, it was around this time when Byron Scott finally unleashed Clarkson and he took the league by storm.
Considering that Clarkson is a restricted free agent, we questioned whether or not he actually deserved the max contract that the Lakers would likely offer him this off season, and he seems to be answering the call.
Jordan Clarkson in February: 18.1 points (52.6% FG’s and 50.0% from 3); 5.0 rebounds; 3.8 assists; 1.3 steals; 1.7 TO’s.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 22, 2016
With Byron Scott announcing, for the second time, that D’Angelo Russell would be starting games for the rest of the season, fans will finally get to see if the two are indeed the Lakers back court of the future, though it would have been nice to give them time to grow earlier in the season.
Although it’s a well known fact that nearly every player in the association is a millionaire, it’s interesting to think about just how money affects their relationships. For example, Julius Randle is a second year player getting paid an average of $3.1 million per year. D’Angelo Russell a rookie averaging $5.2 million a year.
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That said, despite arguably being the most productive Lakers player on the entire team, Jordan Clarkson is getting paid a measly $680,000 a season on average. Sure, all three are technically millionaires, but it is a strange prospect to think about.
When they go out does Kobe always offer to pick up the tab considering he has an extra 25 million reasons to do so? Can Jordan Clarkson afford to shop where his BFF D’Angelo Russell is buying threads? Off tangent, yes, but interesting to ponder nonetheless.
But back to the lecture at hand, despite his improvement, Clarkson still has ways to improve on defense which is definitely his most glaring weakness. Off the top of my head, I recall Boris Diaw blowing by him on the perimeter in a recent game against the San Antonio Spurs. Not ideal.
Next: Backcourt of the Future Needs to See Time Now
That said, it’s beginning to look like a locking up Jordan Clarkson for the long haul will become a priority this offseason for the Purple and Gold as his upside and potential have emerged in the month of February.