10 Former players that have excelled since leaving the Los Angles Lakers

3. Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz

Jordan Clarkson has been generally productive throughout his NBA career. Since leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, however, Clarkson has epitomized the belief that a player's prime doesn't begin until somewhere around the age of 27.

After spending 138 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers following his Lakers tenure, Clarkson has gone on to become a trusted source of instant offense for the Utah Jazz.

Clarkson redefined his reputation in 2020-21, at the age of 28, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and finishing in the top 10 in voting for the Most improved Player award. This was due in large part to his role in helping the Jazz overcome the loss of Donovan Mitchell and still reach the playoffs with a .722 win percentage.

Clarkson would again finish in the top five in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2021-22, and averaged a career-best 20.8 points per game in 2022-23 in his first season since 2015-16 as a full-time starter.

To some extent, the type of success that Clarkson has experienced isn't entirely surprising to Lakers fans. He averaged a cumulative 14.3 points per game with Los Angeles, as well as 18.3 points per 36 minutes, showcasing the explosiveness and relentlessness that has made him an excellent Sixth Man.

Clarkson won't hit the open market until 2026, but it's still nice to see a former Laker coming into their own when many had written them off.