After Jordan Clarkson’s emergence last season, some believed the Los Angeles Lakers found their point guard of the future especially after he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. Clarkson’s growth was one of the reasons many draft experts believed the Lakers would select a big man during the NBA Draft.
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Instead, the Lakers decided to draft a guard in D’Angelo Russell after falling in love with his playmaking and shooting abilities during pre-draft workouts. Russell joined the team earlier in the week in order to prepare for the upcoming Summer League and talked about playing alongside Jordan Clarkson. According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Russell believes the Lakers backcourt duo will be one to watch:
D'Angelo Russell on pairing alongside Jordan Clarkson: "It's dangerous." Says they both do an "equal" job of rebounding & pushing the ball
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) July 8, 2015
Many players have already given Russell high praise after the first couple of practices. After their first day playing together, Clarkson said Russell eases things for everyone on the basketball court. The two are using the practices and Summer League to establish some early chemistry.
Russell isn’t the only one with high hopes for the pairing and the team. Clarkson believes the Lakers can surprise people this upcoming season with their young and growing core. In addition to the backcourt, the Lakers will also have Julius Randle coming back from injury and are in no rush to bring him back swiftly.
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