Jordan Clarkson’s Emergence Means Lakers Should Avoid Rondo

Sometimes the answers to our most important questions are right under our nose. In the case of who should play point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, the answer was sitting on the team's bench for a few months in the form of a 6’5” rookie named Jordan Clarkson.

Without question, the best thing that happened to the Lakers during an otherwise dismal, injury-riddled campaign in 2014-15 was the emergence of Clarkson as a legitimate combo guard with star potential. The former Missouri Tiger showed poise and command of his position almost immediately from the time he became a starter in late January.

Which would make the thought of going after former Dallas Maverick and Boston Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo in free agency a misguided, utterly ridiculous notion.

Are Lakers fans so star-struck as to prefer an overpriced, injury-prone, temperamental veteran over the younger, more athletic, highly motivated Clarkson? Who, by the way, will only cost the Lakers $845,000 next season, per Spotrac.

While it is impossible to predict how Clarkson will develop and grow in the league, his all-around play over the second half of the season makes the idea of pursuing the enigmatic Rondo a highly questionable one.

Despite his recent burnout with the Mavericks, there still seems to be a popular notion that the Lakers remain mildly interested in signing Rondo if he’s amenable to a short-term, bargain-basement price. But even that would be a waste of the Lakers’ financial and emotional resources.



Clarkson was extremely productive on offense, showing great penetration ability and a mid-range game that only got better as January turned into February, March and April.

In 38 games as the starting point guard, Clarkson averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 32 minutes. He shot 46 percent from the field and made 84 percent of his free throws during that 38-game ...