The Los Angeles Lakers actually had a period of time recently where they showed some promise. The Lakers had won three of five games including a convincing victory over the Golden State Warriors. Since that nice run, though, the Lakers have lost four straight, and it seems like some of their young players might be hitting a wall.
Jordan Clarkson isn't a rookie, but he is one of those players that may be dealing with tired legs this late in the season. Clarkson wasn't a highly touted prospect coming out of college like D'Angelo Russell or Julius Randle, but he has made himself part of the team's future plans with his play in his first two years in the NBA.
Over his last four games Clarkson has been dreadful, as he is averaging just 9.3 points per game while shooting 26 percent from the field. The 23-year-old guard admitted that part of the reason for his poor play recently is that he has been "kind of lazy in terms of my fundamentals and stuff." Clarkson also added that he was dealing with some "fatigue and stuff" but didn't use that as an excuse because he realizes everyone is fatigued at this point in the season.
Clarkson has taken on an increased role with the Lakers this season, which is part of the reason for the fatigue. Last season as a rookie Clarkson averaged just 25 minutes per game, but so far this year that is up to 32.1 minutes per game. Despite the recent struggles, though, Clarkson has shown improvement almost across the board this season. His scoring average is up from 11.9 to 15.5 points per game while his three-point shooting percentage is up from 31 percent last year to 35 percent this season.
Because of the amount of success he has had in his second season, head coach Byron Scott is not exactly worried about this slump. Scott reasons that every player will go through stretches of the season where they aren't shooting well, but it won't be time to worry unless this lasts even longer. For his part, Clarkson believes shot selection has been a key factor in this slump on top of the fatigue, but that is something that should improve with more NBA experience.
