NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Threatening Jordan Clarkson With Lesser Role

NBA rumors are swirling around Jordan Clarkson. The 6’4?, 185 pound guard is set to become a free agent this summer. Clarkson has stated that he wants to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. He wants to continue building a squad with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Lakers are threatening him with a lesser role if he does not improve his defense over the summer. That might cause Clarkson to look elsewhere.

Whenever an NBA season ends, teams usually have exit meetings with the players that are remaining on the roster. Byron Scott and the Los Angeles Lakers conducted those meetings earlier in the week. During the discussion with Jordan Clarkson, he was reportedly informed that his defensive numbers simply were not up to par. He did a lot of good things on offense, but he also gave up way too much on the other end of the court.

To his credit, Jordan Clarkson did not shy away from taking responsibilities for that. He has already publicly admitted that he was horrible on the defensive side of the ball. Opposing NBA players shot over 60 percent when they were guarded by Clarkson. That is much too high for the Los Angeles Lakers to have a chance at winning games. They won just 17 games all season long. That made them the worst team in the Western Conference.

Some of the blame for the high shooting percentage by opponents can be blamed on Roy Hibbert. The plodding center wasn’t really all that adept at protecting the basket. D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson are young guards. They like to take gambles on the perimeter. Someone has to protect the rim when that happens. Of course, Russell and Clarkson should also learn to take fewer gambles. That will come with maturity.

Hassan Whiteside could be a potential fix for the Los Angles Lakers. He’s a free agent this summer. Thanks to his superb play this season, Whiteside is set to cash in big time. The Lakers happen to have a ton of salary cap space. They’re also in need of a new center. Whiteside can protect the rim much better than Roy Hibbert can. Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell can take more risks with him around.

Jordan Clarkson might need to accept a much smaller deal than he initially was hoping for. Earlier in the season, there were those in the NBA that believed that the 23-year-old guard was going to be receiving a massive contract with plenty of years. Now, he might need to take a shorter deal to prove that he is worthy of the bigger payday. That might just be the incentive that he needs to improve his defense before the next season begins.

Becoming a defensive stopper would make Jordan Clarkson that much more valuable to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team appears to be building their offense around D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. The latter showed that he could be a facilitator, much like how Lamar Odom used to be for the Lakers. With fewer chances on offense, Clarkson can really stand out by being the guy to take on the best scoring guards in the NBA.

Byron Scott is the one that wants Jordan Clarkson to improve his defense. There’s a chance that he might not be around as the head coach next season. The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be interested in heading in a different direction now that Kobe Bryant has retired from the NBA. Nevertheless, Clarkson should still improve his defense. The next Lakers head coach is more than likely going to want that as well.