The most consistent player on the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2015-16 NBA season thus far has been Jordan Clarkson.
The second-year guard out of Missouri hasn’t missed a beat since his impressive rookie campaign but was hard on himself after the loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
After the loss to the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Clarkson spoke to the media about his uncharacteristically poor play. Clarkson blamed himself for playing a selfish style of basketball in the loss to Detroit via Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
Jordan Clarkson is not happy with his game. "I missed shots today because I was playing selfish…taking shots that I don't usually take."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 7, 2015
Clarkson finished with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. The 23-year-old added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in his 30 minutes on the floor. This was only the fourth time this season Clarkson has failed to reach double-digit in the scoring column.
Although Clarkson struggled to get going on Sunday, the up-and-coming guard has played extremely well once again this season. Clarkson continues to exceed expectations of a second-round pick with the former All-Rookie NBA First Teamer putting up some efficient numbers.
Before heading into this matchup with the Pistons, Clarkson was averaging 15.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Clarkson’s shooting percentages have been arguably the most impressive thing about his second season with the Missouri product shooting 47.8 from the floor and 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Sunday’s performance against the Pistons may have been forgettable for the second-year guard, but overall, he’s been much better than anticipated and quite possibly the best all-around player on the team right now.