Who is ready to make the leap this season?
The Lakers have a solid group of young players, but none that have broken out just yet.
To be fair, most of them are only coming into their second season. With the exception of Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black, most of the returning players are sophomores.
Technically Julius Randle is in his third year, but after a season ending injury the first game of his rookie season, he played his first full season last year.
After a year or two under their belt, one of these players have to be a poised for a breakout year, right?
The assumption is that D’Angelo Russell will be the first to break from the pack, and that’s a fair assumption to make.
With a new head coach who has already earned his respect and the most talent he’s been surrounded by in his young NBA career, it would be surprising not to see Russell make huge steps in his sophomore season.
However, one name that isn’t brought up too much is Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson signed a four-year, $50 million deal this summer to stay with the Purple and Gold.
In his rookie season, he became the first Laker ever to win Western Conference Rookie of the Month. His play after the All-Star break earned him a spot on the All-Rookie first team as a second round pick.
His sophomore season showed an increase in both points and 3-point percentage, but a decline in assists per game.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 22 | LAL | NBA | PG | 59 | 38 | 25.0 | 4.5 | 10.1 | .448 | 0.6 | 2.1 | .314 | 3.9 | 8.1 | .482 | .480 | 2.2 | 2.7 | .829 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 11.9 |
| 2015-16 | 23 | LAL | NBA | SG | 79 | 79 | 32.3 | 6.0 | 13.9 | .433 | 1.4 | 4.1 | .347 | 4.6 | 9.8 | .468 | .483 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .804 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 15.5 |
| Career | NBA | 138 | 117 | 29.2 | 5.4 | 12.3 | .438 | 1.1 | 3.2 | .338 | 4.3 | 9.1 | .473 | .482 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .815 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 14.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/27/2016.
This has a lot to do with the fact that he moved over to the 2 to play alongside Russell, something the Lakers are confident will work out.
“Our vision would be that both of those players play together in the backcourt for 10-12 years,” Kupchak said in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Brian Geltzeiler and Rick Mahorn. “That’s what we’re hoping for. We don’t look at them as players that can’t play with each other or have to play with somebody else. We think they can play together.”
Clarkson has been working hard to improve his shot this summer, so his fit next to Russell shouldn’t be a spacing issue.
Another Laker expected to show his new found shooting range is Julius Randle. Randle has been heavily criticized early on his career for his range, or lack thereof.
But it looks like Randle has been working tirelessly all summer to become a threat away from the basket.
Combine his expanded range with his bully ball style of play and you have yourself a scary NBA player. In what was his essentially his rookie season, Randle averaged a double-double.
Below are the list of players drafted in 2014 that also averaged a double-double.
- No. 30 on the Lakers
- The No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft
- Son of Carolyn Kyles
The Lakers are in the midst of what’s supposed to be a lengthy rebuild, but with the hard work the returning players have put in this summer, it might not be as a long as once anticipated.