Can an unheralded second-round rookie point guard make a difference in a team’s wholesale reconstruction? In the case of Jordan Clarkson and the Los Angeles Lakers, the answer is an unequivocal yes.
Each offseason, NBA teams approach the draft and free agency in hopes of achieving some level of improvement. Great teams may only need a tweak here and there, while the cellar-dwellers look for larger changes.
With the Lakers coming off their worst season ever at 21-61, the needs are obvious—good players at every position. But the truth of the matter is that the front office has to prioritize—the combination of the draft and cash in the coffers cannot solve all ills.