Newsletter: Lakers! Jordan Clarkson had a really fun week

Hi this is Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat writer for the L.A. Times, here with your weekly newsletter.

Home was kinder to the Lakers this time. They won all three games of their homestand, and Jordan Clarkson had a really fun week.

This normally would be the time of year when the Lakers would hit the road for their “Grammy trip,” but the Grammy Awards are not at Staples Center this year. They’re in New York. So this year’s long January/February trip has no catchy name.

Despite the winning lately, against some pretty good teams, there are still plenty of problems with the Lakers. They’re about to go on a five-game road trip that will test those issues.

We’ll get into all that, but first a happy subject.

On Jordan Clarkson’s burst

The Lakers lost three of their best scorers last year — Nick Young, Lou Williams (who should have been named an All-Star reserve) and D’Angelo Russell. They were all players from whom the team planned to move on, but it left a chasm on their roster. As Lakers coach Luke Walton strove to improve the Lakers’ defense, who would score?

That guy was supposed to be Clarkson. This week it was.

Clarkson averaged 28 points per game against the Pacers, Knicks and Celtics.

He scored 33 points against the Pacers, the team with whom the Lakers had some trade talks that involved Clarkson and Paul George this summer. He also had seven assists and seven rebounds in that game. Walton said it was the type of game you have when you aren’t thinking about scoring. I asked Kyle Kuzma if he thought Clarkson wasn’t thinking about scoring and Kuzma laughed and said no, Clarkson is always thinking about scoring. We also learned that day that Clarkson had been locked out of Instagram, so he used part of his post-game interview to ask Instagram to please let him back in. He was also the only player to make any free throws in that game. More on that later.

Clarkson picked up a double double in the next game, a 20-point blowout of the New York Knicks, with 29 points and 10 assists. He also had six rebounds and three steals. He became the first NBA reserve to ever accomplish that stat line.

Then, he followed with 22 points against the Celtics, with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Clarkson made 6 of 7 free throws, which was significantly better than any of his teammates.

Asked why he’s playing so well, he keeps saying he’s gotten back to basics. After the Pacers game, I asked Clarkson if the trade deadline and trade rumors have crossed his mind. He insisted “I’m just hooping, to be honest with you.”

The trade deadline is Feb. 8.

What else happened

--The Lakers’ free-throw woes became a crisis. The problem is, they are winning despite this crisis, and winning always makes messages that call for improvement tougher for coaches to get across to their players. They made only two of 14 free throws against the Pacers on Friday, with their best free-throw shooter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, sitting on the bench. Clarkson was the only player to make any free throws in that game. They weren’t as bad on Sunday against the Knicks, but a few days later against the Celtics, they missed four free throws in the final 20 seconds of the game that could have clinched the win. Caldwell-Pope was back, and was responsible for two of those misses. He got out of the post-game locker room before I could get in there, but there was a basketball in his locker with the words “free throw” scrawled on it in black marker.

--Luke Walton might try meditation to help the players improve their free-throw shooting. They have a session scheduled for after this road trip, which ends on Super Bowl Sunday.

--The Lakers beat the Celtics. And this is a good Celtics team that came into Staples Center leading the Eastern Conference. They also came in on a three-game losing streak, which made Walton feel they were a dangerous team. The Lakers beat them with defense. After Caldwell-Pope missed his two free throws, he made a defensive stop that saved the game. Walton has been really pleased with the Lakers’ defense lately, as he should be.

--Against the Pacers, the Lakers were missing Lonzo Ball (hey, our first Lonzo Ball mention!), Brandon Ingram and Caldwell-Pope. They got the latter two back, but Ball still might be a while. He started jogging on the treadmill on Saturday and on Tuesday did some stationary dribbling and spot shooting. Ball will be with the Lakers on this road trip, but it’s unclear if he’ll play. He’s dealing with a left knee sprain. This is the third injury Ball has had with a timetable that’s been a little bit fuzzy. He’s a player who tends to downplay injuries at first, which sometimes leads to a lighter initial diagnosis.

--In Ball’s absence, Alex Caruso has gotten some more playing time. He is about midway through his 45 days allowed in the NBA and had a nice game against the Knicks. Once his 45 days are up, the Lakers could keep him around on some 10-day contracts.

Up next

The Lakers will play the Bulls, Raptors, Magic, Nets and Thunder on this five-game road trip. The big question will be if they can keep up the defensive intensity they’ve shown in the past few games. Then they’ll return home for two home games before the All Star break, when the Lakers will have three players participate in the Rising Stars game — Ball, Kuzma and Ingram.

That won’t be a break for us, though. All Star weekend will be right here in L.A.

Schedule

All times Pacific

Friday at Chicago, 5 p.m.

Sunday at Toronto, 3 p.m.

Wednesday at Orlando, 4 p.m.

Until next time

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