In Friday’s loss to Boston, no two players on the floor had as dissimilar scoring nights as Jordan Clarkson — who had a game-high 20 points — and Brandon Ingram, who went scoreless.
Still, head coach Luke Walton felt that both players provided a bit of something despite the Lakers’ 115-95 loss.
Ingram, who was in foul trouble all night and finished with five, didn’t even attempt a shot until the fourth quarter.
However, he did play within the offense and tallied four assists, leaving Walton pleased with his passing out of pick-and-rolls and drives.
Still, the coach noted that he would likely call more plays for Ingram in the future if he sees him not getting his shots off again.
“Obviously we want him taking more shots that than right now,” Walton said at Saturday’s practice. “If I see a game happening like that again, I might manipulate it a little bit to get him some more shots. But I thought he did a really good job of not forcing it.”
And while Clarkson provided many more points than Ingram, they actually matched each other’s production for the majority of the game.
Clarkson went scoreless in the first, second and fourth quarters, shooting 0-for-10. Nonetheless, he managed to catch fire in the third, hitting 7-of-9 for a 20-point eruption.
“He probably had better looks in the first half than he did in the second,” Walton said. “There are always going to be nights and quarters and games when your shot’s just not going in for you. That’s why it’s important to get good at the other things in basketball: the passing and playing defense.”
Now, with Lou Williams having been traded about a week ago, Clarkson will have to balance his increased off-the-bench scoring role with his development in other areas.
“His role in the second unit has gotten a lot bigger since the All-Star Break,” Walton said. “I think he’s doing a good job of taking that responsibility and trying to get stops on defense and putting pressure on the other teams’ guards and playmaking for his teammates.”