All the excitement in the offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers has come to pass now that Summer League and Team USA Camp has concluded. D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram were all invited to participate in training camp for the US Men’s Olympic Basketball program as part of the Select Team.
With all of the hype surrounding those guys it can sometimes be easy to forget about Jordan Clarkson, however. Clarkson is the Lakers leading returning scorer and would have led last year’s squad in scoring had Kobe not gone off for 60 points in his career finale.
Clarkson has had a pretty busy offseason himself after re-signing with the Lakers on a four year, $50 million contract. Clarkson has also been a constant in the gym and recently played in a game in the Drew League with his Lakers teammate, Nick Young (via lakersworld16):
Young is a regular in the Drew League during the NBA offseason, which has become a hot spot for NBA players to play in glorified pickup games during the summer. Clarkson joined up with Young and put up 33 points in a losing effort at the Nike Air Hangar at Hawthorne Airport. The third-year guard is determined to become a dominant force in the NBA someday, and he had some highlights at The Drew that perhaps showed a glimpse of what Lakers fans may see this coming season:
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant once made a surprise appearance at the Drew League in South Central Los Angeles where he added another game winning buzzer-beater to his resume over James Harden. Clarkson had no such highlight in his appearance, but it is encouraging that the rising star is working to improve his game this summer.
It has been a busy summer for the Lakers’ young core, but all the work that they put in during the offseason will be apparent once the season tips in late October.
