Jordan Clarkson

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Media Day: Clarkson Cam

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Jordan Clarkson: 1on1 (09/19/14)

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Nick Young: 1on1 (09/17/14)

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EL SEGUNDO – The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Jordan Clarkson, the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, whose rights were acquired from the Washington Wizards on draft night, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

In the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Clarkson led the Lakers’ entry in scoring, (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (5.0) while shooting 42.1% (8-19) from beyond-the-arc in five games (all starts). In his debut vs. Toronto, he led the team with 21 points on 7-15 shooting (2-4 from three-point range) with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The 6’5’’ guard from Missouri was named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches in his lone season with the Tigers. An early entry candidate after his junior season, Clarkson spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tulsa, where he was selected First Team All-Conference USA in 2011-12, following his C-USA All-Freshman team honors in 2010-11.

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Lakers Sign Jordan Clarkson

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2014 Summer League Recap

Mike Trudell

Lottery pick Julius Randle wasn't the only Lakers rookie turning heads at Las Vegas Summer League.

Teammate Jordan Clarkson, whose rights were acquired by the Lakers on Draft Night from Washington, and who was then selected with the 46th overall pick, finished an impressive week in Sin City where he led the Lakers summer league squad in scoring at 15.8 points per game, to go along with a team-high 5.0 rebounds.

He notably had a game-winning tip-in to give the Lakers an 89-88 win over Golden State in one of the team's two wins out of five games.

"The thing about Clarkson is he's always in the right place at the right time," Lakers associate head coach Mark Madsen said of Clarkson after the game. "That was a great player making a great basketball play."

And in the team's final game against Denver, Clarkson delivered seven points in the fourth quarter, including five in the final 2:25, to give the squad their second victory of the tournament style event.

Clarkson flashed plenty of potential in summer league, showing off his ability and athleticism to get to the rim and finish, either in one-on-one situations, in transition or out of the pick and roll. Though he shot just 42.4 percent overall from the floor, Clarkson converted on 42.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc (8 for 19), his jumper being a point of emphasis for prior improvement. The coaching staff was also pleased with his versatility on the defensive end of the floor.

"I think Jordan Clarkson had a tremendous summer league," Madsen said. "I think he was one of the top players, not only on the Lakers team, but here at the Las Vegas Summer League. I loved Jordan Clarkson's energy, I loved his enthusiasm for the game and I loved his ability to learn.

"He learned every set, he learned multiple options out of each set for other positions. Now what Clarkson can do is he can tell people where to go on the court, and that's a sign of a point guard who's growing into the position."

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Jordan Clarkson Turns Heads at Summer League

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Summer League Postgame: Jordan Clarkson

If the primary purpose of L.A.'s trip to Las Vegas was to see what they had in recent draft picks Julius Randle (No. 7 overall) and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46), consider the stay in Sin City a success.

Friday afternoon's 83-77 win over Denver improved the full Summer League squad's record at 2-3, and after struggling through the first three quarters, it was Randle and Clarkson that carried the team to a closing win. Randle was 0 for 7 from the field in the first three quarters, but hit 5 of 7 shots in the fourth, his 14 points combining with Clarkson's 12 to carry L.A. home.

Players fighting for a training camp invite somewhere in the NBA pitched in as well, with Kevin Murphy posting 14 points and DeAndre Kane adding 12 points and three assists off the bench, but it was L.A.'s rookies that did damage with the game on the line. A big part of L.A.'s future, Randle is of course a lock to make the senior roster, while Clarkson who's put himself in pretty good shape to play when the games count.

In sum, both rookies showed off why the Lakers were excited about drafting them in their respective slots, surprised that a talent of Randle's level was available at No. 7 – he may have gone No. 1 in the 2013 NBA Draft. Clarkson was still around in the 40's, when GM Mitch Kupchak purchased an additional draft pick from Washington to take the Mizzou product that was 20 spots higher on L.A.'s draft board.

In three games prior to Friday's – Randle missed the opener as he'd yet to sign his contract – the former Kentucky freshman averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 boards and 2.0 assists in 23 minutes while shooting 44.8 percent. Clarkson, meanwhile, led the Lakers with his 16.8 points per contest, adding 4.8 boards and 1.5 dimes in 31.8 minutes on 43.6% FG's.

Clarkson didn't have his best shooting game, at 4 for 11, but he finished a tough driving layup with 2:20 left to give the Lakers a one-point lead. He added six boards, though he had four turnovers without an assist, a ratio he'll need to flip flop to get consistent minutes at point guard in the NBA.

Both players will get some rest, before likely reporting to Los Angeles at some point in September to work out at the practice facility in advance of October's training camp.