WITH the start of the 2015-2016 NBA season less than a month away, Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson is hoping “great things will happen” and anticipates the team will mesh well together.
“We got a lot of guys that want to learn and want to have a good season. We pretty strong…. Last year wasn’t fun, losing all those games, but at the same time we did learn a lot and we worked, we kept improving and that’s all we can ask for…” he told reporters during Lakers Media Day on Monday, Sept. 28.
The Fil-Am basketball player, who is entering is second year in the league, is looking to work hard and “put it all on the line” when the regular season begins on Oct. 27. Over the summer, he worked on honing his skills overall and told reporters his three-point shots, among others, are easier to make.
“I was in there in the workshop [this summer] chopping my game down and working it back up and trying to build a lot of confidence for the season,” he said.
In his rookie year, Clarkson averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.86 steals and 0.20 blocks in 59 games. He was also the first-ever Lakers player to be named the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month, an award he received in April for games he played in March this year.
Clarkson on Gilas
In addition to representing the Los Angeles team, Clarkson was in talks earlier this year to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the ongoing FIBA Asia Championship, for which he was cleared to play. However, due to scheduling conflicts with Lakers training camp, which began Monday, he did not make the Philippine roster.
Although Gilas lost to Palestine on the opening day of the championship on Sept. 23, it has secured the top seed after sweeping the second round of the tournament, claiming its most recent victory Tuesday, Sept. 29, against India. On Thursday, Oct. 1, Gilas will face Lebanon in the final round.
“Just keep continuing to put it all on the line,” he said in a message to the Philippine team. “Keep continuing to play and good things are going to happen, keep continuing to win. That’s all anybody can ask for, but most importantly, keep representing the flag and keep playing.”
He also said he hopes Gilas makes it to Rio.
On visiting the Philippines & Filipino fans
Clarkson, the only current Filipino-American player in the NBA, has expressed pride in his Filipino roots. In May, he visited the Philippines, an experience he spoke positively about. His mother, Annette Davis, is half-Filipino.
“Learning about my culture and being around those people…. It was a fun time for me and I really enjoyed it. Definitely being there with my country on my back is definitely something I want to do so hopefully we make that happen,” he told reporters.
While in the Philippines, Clarkson hosted an NBA Cares clinic with Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz and four-time NBA champion Horace Grant.
As Clarkson’s Filipino fans follow him into the NBA season, he offered the following message to them: “I’m going to keep trying to represent well and keep trying to put on for the country and the flag and try and do my best.”
Upcoming season
With reports that Kobe Bryant could be retiring after this season, Clarkson said it means a lot to be playing with the NBA veteran.
“We want to send him out on a good note so that’s what we hope to do,” Clarkson said.
And with a rough season for the team last year, the Fil-Am said he wants to help bring back the Lakers’ winning days, especially because of the fans.
“We got the best fans in the league so they definitely make you want to put it all on the line when you’re out there playing. That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.
Clarkson also said he and rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell were able to build chemistry during the summer. The better off-court relationship makes it easy to bring that chemistry on game days, especially, he said, because it’s important that they are both able to communicate with each other easily.
“As a rookie, [we’re] both young guys and [we’re] both still learning…. Building that comfortability with each other off the court is going to make it much easier to do it when we’re on the court,” he said.
The Lakers will play its first game of the season on Oct. 28 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
