A Look at Jordan Clarkson, the Lakers' Second Pick Up of the NBA Draft

Photo Courtesy of Dak Dillion-USA TODAY Sports

As Julius Randle continues his very loud week of press conferences and formal introductions into the Los
Angeles Lakers storied franchise, Missouri's Jordan Clarkson has yet to prove that he belongs.

Clarkson was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 46 pick of the draft on Thursday, June 26th but was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations.

The 6'5'' point guard has not received much media attention and may not show up much in the papers but based on his college statistics, he is not a player that should be easily overlooked. During last year's college campaign, Clarkson averaged 17.5 points a night while shooting at 83.1% from the field. Although he has struggled with his jump shot towards the end of the season, Clarkson was excellent off the dribble, especially in pick and roll situations. With this being said, it is very likely that Clarkson may develop his game with a little help from two-time MVP and probable future Hall of Famer in Steve Nash. Under the mentorship of Nash, who knows what type of player Clarkson can ultimately become. Take a look at Goran Dragic and the evidence is all spilled out.

The Lakers clearly need help with the position as they currently only have Nash under contract as Kendall Marshall's $915,000 contract is a team option and may be lifted at any given moment. Clarkson provides the speed and youth the Lakers need to potentially dig themselves out of the slump that was the last two years. The team needs a solid player to bring up the ball and they have not had one since the veteran in Derek Fisher.

As of now, the purple and gold only have five players under solid contracts with a team option on Kendall Marshall and a player option on Ryan Kelly. There are still plenty of spaces to fill and only time will tell what course the legendary Los Angeles team takes. Personally, I do not think that the Lakers have a chance with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony given the fact that those two will probably be looking at huge contracts in a span of multiple years. The team has already given Kobe Bryant $48 million and I am assuming that James and Anthony are going to be asking for numbers as large if not slightly lower than that of Bryant's which will probably be unlikely.

Instead of chasing these big name guys, I think the organization has a better chance looking for solid players that have already brought their team's to the NBA finals. The Lakers should look at role players who have done fantastic in the past year because they are capable of working with anyone, players like Trevor Ariza and Luol Deng should get the nod. Ariza has played solidly for the Rockets, Hornets, and Wizards and has not really found a big dip in his game. The Lakers, especially Bryant, love his humbleness and already know his sweet spots on the offense. In addition, we already know how fast the stealthy small forward has on the defensive end. Perhaps a return to Los Angeles will help Ariza earn yet other ring; it just works out both ways! Luol Deng is yet another player to look for as he is capable of playing hard-nosed defense as well as creating his own shots as we have all seen in his days in Chicago, leading the team as Derrick Rose continued to recover from his injuries.

As for now the Lakers have much to decide on what to do to fill out the rest of their roster but as of now, everything that they have done so far has been solid. Hopefully a young player like Clarkson could provide some insurance in the meantime as the free agency period opens and chase begins.