The Los Angeles Lakers had their season end on a very high note as Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in the final game of his career and the vibes around the team seemed to be all good. However, that great ending to the season doesn't cover up just how bad the rest of the season went and how big of a question mark the future is.
The Lakers will be able to move on from Kobe and his contract which will give them cap space and more shots for their young guys. The Lakers have young guys they see as future stars, which is a positive, but they still need more on the roster. First thing's first, though - they need to make a decision on Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson was a second round pick in 2014 and burst onto the scene as a rookie and had another solid showing this past year. The 23-year-old guard will be a restricted free agent this summer, which means the Lakers can match any offer he receives, and he is confident that he will be back with the Lakers for next season.
Clarkson should garner plenty of interest on the free agent market considering he is young and has proven he can play at a high level. Despite the interest he should get, Clarkson doesn't want to play anywhere else.
"I want to be one of those guys that is not bouncing around from team to team," Clarkson said. "I want to be somewhere where I can come home and leave my mark or legacy or somewhere I can call home. I feel like this is the place I can do that."
It has been the expectation all along that Clarkson would remain a Laker beyond this season considering they have the cap space and he has been one of the lone bright spots for them the past two seasons. Clarkson averaged 15.5 points per game this season while shooting 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. Those numbers aren't half bad for a second-year player, but he still has a lot of improving to do on defense.
Clarkson was ranked as one of the worst perimeter defenders in the NBA last season, and he even admitted that he was horrible on that end this season. Clarkson also added that he has never really worked on defense but plans to focus on that end specifically this offseason. That is a good idea for Clarkson moving forward because head coach Byron Scott, who looks like he will be back next season, has said that if his defense doesn't improve Clarkson's minutes will go down.
