Lakers: Steve Nash Raves About Private Workouts With Jordan Clarkson: "He's The Real Deal"

[Koolaid_Man]

Thanks Stevie..good news...and thanks for helping to develop this kid....


It started as film work, then transitioned to more hands-on training in about 30-minute sessions, with some lasting up to two hours. The two worked on a variety of things, mostly centering on how to slow the game down for Clarkson, enable him to make better decisions and create space for himself.

Nash, who spent quite a bit of time with Clarkson, raved about the 23-year-old’s work ethic and personality

I think he’s very humble and hard working, but he has confidence. He has that security in himself to say, ‘Okay, I don’t know everything, I’m going to learn where I can, and try to get better and use every tool.’ He has a lot of wisdom for a young player.

That wisdom earned Clarkson Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for his stretch of games played in the month of March, after averaging a team-leading 15.8 points on 45.2 percent shooting, in addition to 5.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds, becoming the first-ever Laker to be honored with the award (first presented in 1981-82).


Clarkson was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, only the fifth second-round pick in the past 30 years to receive the honor, and joined fellow Lakers Eddie Jones, Vlade Divac, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon, Brian Winters, Jim Price, Garrett, and Bill Hewitt, in addition to 1958-59 of the Year Elgin Baylor.

Nash continues....

He’s a great person, first of all, and I think he’s a really talented basketball player and incredibly coachable and works hard. I think the sky’s the limit for him.

That’s exciting for Laker fans to have two guys, D’Angelo (Russell) and Jordan (Clarkson), both big guards that can handle the ball and it’s kind of a fascinating and exciting backcourt for the future here.

[Koolaid_Man]

Steve has been really pushing this kid all season long and it appears to me that because of that this kid made all rookie 1st team after being drafted 46th in the second round....gotta give Steve his ing credit...he cant play anymore but dam he done handed his talent/ torch to this kid...

For Clarkson, the light Wednesday session led in perfectly to his night meeting with Steve Nash, or "Professor Steve," as the rookie called him on Tuesday night. Around the time Kobe Bryant's torn rotator cuff was being discovered, Clarkson and Nash were arranging their first private sessions of the season.


Nash reached out to Clarkson, but Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak had planted the seeds and watered the flowers over monthly breakfast meetings. To be fair, the rookie spent time working out with Nash before the season, so the idea of the pair of point guards working together did not exactly turn up mid-season. In a perfect world, Clarkson would probably have been watching Nash operate for the first half of the season before stepping onto the court. Everything considered, no one is complaining about Clarkson's development these days.


"I worked out with Steve (Nash) for a week, week and a half, here at the facility," Clarkson said the point guard duo did late off-season work prior to the start of training camp.


The regular seasons sessions, however, had been more film oriented with one memorably intense physical workout over the All-Star break.

[Double-Up]

He had a lot of free time during the season so why not? You guys are still hot garbage...

[SquawkinHawkBigCock]

I had a good time watching Dennis thoroughly on him last year

[DPG21920]

Relying on them SA boys to revive LA. Good choice Kool. Beg SA to save LA.

[Thread]

The Summer of Kool

[Buddy Mignon]

Relying on them SA boys to revive LA. Good choice Kool. Beg SA to save LA.

Kiwi the Re is from Moreno Valley CA. I hear he's giving free summer camps cause no one was willing to pay.

[BD24]

Relying on them SA boys to revive LA. Good choice Kool. Beg SA to save LA.

DPG has been going balls deep on Kool lately

[Koolaid_Man]

DPG has been going balls deep on Kool lately

That lil would need to literally grow 2.5 feet to go balls deep on the one they call Kool

[BD24]

That lil would need to literally grow 2.5 feet to go balls deep on the one they call Kool

I just bet.

[ambchang]

A cripple who played 15 games for the lakers having more impact on the lakers youth than Kobe, who played with the pairs for two decades.

alpha.

[Gent]

Did the practice consisted of a few back stroke swings?

I'd be surprised if Nash could even run 3 meters.

[HemisfairArena]

You have Kobrick and two top 10 lottery picks and your best player is Jordan Clarkson?,,,,,

[Buddy Mignon]

You have Kobrick and two top 10 lottery picks and your best player is Jordan Clarkson?,,,,,

Kobe is a op 5 all-time legend. Randle and Russell have yet to play. Clarkson was first team all rookie. So yea, we're high on one of the best rookies of last season.

[HemisfairArena]

Kobe is a op 5 all-time legend. Randle and Russell have yet to play. Clarkson was first team all rookie. So yea, we're high on one of the best rookies of last season.

Kobrick is not top 5, luva,,,c'mon. Arguablly top 10 and that's very debatable. Russell doesn't have the handles and Randle lacks the hops but time will tell. But glad to see humility sneaking into Laker fan character. Given everything on a silver platter for the last 3 decades can spoil a fanbase and it takes a situation like this to bring back reality. Celtic fan felt it after Bias collapsed on the court and they went on a 20+ year drought,,,

[Buddy Mignon]

Kobrick is not top 5, luva,,,c'mon. Arguablly top 10 and that's very debatable. Russell doesn't have the handles and Randle lacks the hops but time will tell. But glad to see humility sneaking into Laker fan character. Given everything on a silver platter for the last 3 decades can spoil a fanbase and it takes a situation like this to bring back reality. Celtic fan felt it after Bias collapsed on the court and they went on a 20+ year drought,,,

I don't think you've really watched any of them play. Russ has a good handle on him, he's just not athletic. I can't name 5 guys who put it down better than Kobe. And he's the got the hardware to prove it.

[HemisfairArena]

I don't think you've really watched any of them play. Russ has a good handle on him, he's just not athletic. I can't name 5 guys who put it down better than Kobe. And he's the got the hardware to prove it.

Jordan, Duncan, Magic, Jabber, and Russell didn't put it down better than Kobrick? I know you want to jump on Duncan right away but the guy is 5 of 6 in the Finals with 3 Finals MVP's. Kobrick has been to 7 with 2 Finals MVP's,,,Worse winniing percentage in Finals,,,less Finals MVP's,,,,less regular season MVP's,,,but Laker fans says 3 peat and repeat,,,without Jackon, Shaq or Gasol,,,they do neither,,,Kobrick is proving that theory true over the last 3 years,,,,and Russell is a turnover machine,,

[Buddy Mignon]

Jordan, Duncan, Magic, Jabber, and Russell didn't put it down better than Kobrick? I know you want to jump on Duncan right away but the guy is 5 of 6 in the Finals with 3 Finals MVP's. Kobrick has been to 7 with 2 Finals MVP's,,,Worse winniing percentage in Finals,,,less Finals MVP's,,,,less regular season MVP's,,,but Laker fans says 3 peat and repeat,,,without Jackon, Shaq or Gasol,,,they do neither,,,Kobrick is proving that theory true over the last 3 years,,,,and Russell is a turnover machine,,

Listen... I've already crushed the MVP theory that you guys love to throw out there. Its nothing more than a media award. Jordan should have 10 if there was some merit to it. The top five players that I've ever seen play and sustain that play for an entire career is

Hakeem
Kareem
Jordan
Magic
Kobe

Russell would be a scrub in todays game. You can switch Duncan for Hakeem due to hardware but I wouldn't. Look at how Hakeem took a weaker squad and swept Shaq, yet Shaq dominated Duncan head to head. When Kobe and Duncan were on the floor together... Kobe got the best of him... with and without Shaq. When you look at the thing that Kobe is noted for he is 3rd on the list all time. Kobe's highs are much higher than Duncan's and Duncan's lows are much lower than Kobe's. Choking off that le when the game was basically over is Duncan's lowest point. His high was dominating the Lakers in 2003 with a weaker squad. Kobe's low is missing he playoffs a number of times. His highs are three-peating and repeating without Shaq. I'm taking Kobe over Jim.

[HemisfairArena]

Listen... I've already crushed the MVP theory that you guys love to throw out there. Its nothing more than a media award. Jordan should have 10 if there was some merit to it. The top five players that I've ever seen play and sustain that play for an entire career is

Hakeem
Kareem
Jordan
Magic
Kobe

Russell would be a scrub in todays game. You can switch Duncan for Hakeem due to hardware but I wouldn't. Look at how Hakeem took a weaker squad and swept Shaq, yet Shaq dominated Duncan head to head. When Kobe and Duncan were on the floor together... Kobe got the best of him... with and without Shaq. When you look at the thing that Kobe is noted for he is 3rd on the list all time. Kobe's highs are much higher than Duncan's and Duncan's lows are much lower than Kobe's. Choking off that le when the game was basically over is Duncan's lowest point. His high was dominating the Lakers in 2003 with a weaker squad. Kobe's low is missing he playoffs a number of times. His highs are three-peating and repeating without Shaq. I'm taking Kobe over Jim.

Duncan is a Ray Allen 3 from being 6-0 in the Finals and never missed the playoffs once in his career,,,its really not even close,,,

[Buddy Mignon]

Duncan is a Ray Allen 3 from being 6-0 in the Finals and never missed the playoffs once in his career,,,its really not even close,,,

He's still only 2-4 when facing Kobe. Same coach... same players... yet Kobe dominates him.

[HemisfairArena]

He's still only 2-4 when facing Kobe. Same coach... same players... yet Kobe dominates him.

Kobrick dominated because of Shaq,,,its why Shaq is higher on the list,,

[HemisfairArena]

Kobrick should really have just 1 Finals MVP and be the Tony Parker of the Lakers since 2000,,,,top 5?,,,,LMAO

Congratulations to Los Angeles on winning consecutive les, but we need to clear up a little matter called the Finals MVP Award. As much as Kobe Bryant seems like an obvious selection because he's the team's most lauded player and he averaged 28.6 points per, he clearly was not the Lakers' best player in the 2010 Finals. That player was Pau Gasol.
The most straight-forward way of looking at this debate is that the series was decided by defense and rebounding. It was a low-scoring, poorly shot affair all around, and the Lakers won the rebounding battle by a landslide in their four wins. Gasol was by far their most impressive rebounder in the series, leading everyone in both the amount he collected and his skill in doing so in the trenches, picking up the tough ones in traffic (not the long caroms that guards usually end up with). On top of that, his strong interior defense set the tone for the Lakers, who rode their defense to the championship; Bryant spent the series playing centerfield far off of Rajon Rondo, certainly not a stopper or defensive game-changer in any capacity.

Statistically, Gasol's input in his Lakers' le defense was significantly more important than that of Bryant. Obviously Kobe's 29 points per look better than Gasol's 19, but it was simply the result of shooting an insane amount of shots at a low percentage. Although the Lakers shot a pitiful 41% over their seven games with Boston, Bryant actually made things worse by shooting 40% (66-163). Not only that, but in a series full of close fourth-quarter battles, Bryant shot an abysmal 31% (11-36) in the games' final periods. Gasol connected on a team-high 48% from the field, hitting 43 of 90 attempts. His efficiency from the field was instrumental in stressing a tight Boston defense.

From a distribution/running-the-O standpoint, Gasol far trumped Kobe in the Finals. The big Spaniard lead the entire Laker squad with a phenomenal 26-13 (2.0) assist-turnover rate. He did a great job passing out of double teams, passing out of the low-post, high-post, perimeter, etc. The only player to accrue more assists on LA was the primary ball handler, Bryant, who handed out one more, 27. Unfortunately for the team, he also turned the ball over 27 times for a terrible 1.0 ratio. It could have been much worse if his teammates didn't hustle to retain possession on numerous Bryant passes that were tipped away by the Celtics into random spaces each game. Offensively, there is no question that Gasol was far more important to the overall success and effectiveness of the Lakers' attack.

Considering the winner of all seven games was also the team that lead each contest in rebounds, this part of their games cannot be overlooked. Gasol was the top rebounder by quite a substantial margin for the series, snagging 11.6 boards per, including an incredible 5.0 offensive each night. With the rest of the Lakers shooting such a low percentage from the field, Gasol's offensive rebounds and the subsequent second-chance points alone were regularly the difference between winning and losing. He surpassed his rebound average in four of the seven games, so there were no single-game totals that pushed his average so high.

Bryant chipped in with an impressive 8.0 rebounds per, including 1.7 offensive, but it should be pointed out he met or exceeded that average only twice. A few outliers skewed his average above a true indication of what he contributed in this category. Not only that, most of Gasol's boards were grabbed in the middle of hard-fought scrums in the paint, whereas Bryant's were usually of the long-bounce-right-to-him variety.

Defensively, Gasol's man-to-man defense is alright, but his ability to energetically block and redirect shots was unparalleled, blocking 18 for the series (2.6 per) and persuading multiple potential shots to not be taken. A big man's defensive presence is always more valuable than a wing's because they have to help clean up the mess opposing guards make when they drive into the paint. That being said, Bryant's defense wasn't responsible for much in the series. He guarded Rajon Rondo, who can't shoot, by hanging out in the lane; Bryant rarely had to hustle or be responsible for containing any tough plays. Rondo still ended up averaging 14 points and 8 assists for the series. Bryant did get credit for 15 steals over the seven games, 8 of which came in two home contests when any deflections caused by his teammates' hustle were given to him if LA's stats keepers determined he gained possession in the end. NBA stats keepers, who work for individual clubs, are allowed a lot of leeway in determining who to give credit for steals, which is why it's one of the most home-oriented statistics for star players.

Pau Gasol was clearly the most impressive player in the 2010 Finals and deserved to win the Bill Russell MVP Award. This is not a slight to Bryant, it's just that Gasol is that good. He is the only other player in the best-big-in-the-league discussion with Dwight Howard. Duncan's slowing speed has taken away a lot of his defense, and Chris Bosh is neither a defender, passer, winner, or much more than a pedestrian shooter inside. On the other hand, the best perimeter player in the league is an argument involving Chris Paul, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, maybe Jason Kidd, and Bryant.

Gasol is doing some special things right now that have brought the Lakers out of their three-year .500-ball funk and into a great stretch of Finals runs that includes two les. It's time he got his due.

[ambchang]

Listen... I've already crushed the MVP theory that you guys love to throw out there. Its nothing more than a media award. Jordan should have 10 if there was some merit to it. The top five players that I've ever seen play and sustain that play for an entire career is

Hakeem
Kareem
Jordan
Magic
Kobe

Russell would be a scrub in todays game. You can switch Duncan for Hakeem due to hardware but I wouldn't. Look at how Hakeem took a weaker squad and swept Shaq, yet Shaq dominated Duncan head to head. When Kobe and Duncan were on the floor together... Kobe got the best of him... with and without Shaq. When you look at the thing that Kobe is noted for he is 3rd on the list all time. Kobe's highs are much higher than Duncan's and Duncan's lows are much lower than Kobe's. Choking off that le when the game was basically over is Duncan's lowest point. His high was dominating the Lakers in 2003 with a weaker squad. Kobe's low is missing he playoffs a number of times. His highs are three-peating and repeating without Shaq. I'm taking Kobe over Jim.

Kobe over Bird, Duncan, Moses, Lebron, Russell, Wilt, Oscar
TMac with a frontline
Shaq "dominated" Duncan, when he was 18-14 vs. Duncan (including 3-2 in the playoffs), got outscored, outrebounded, outstole, and outassisted by Duncan, with more turnovers and fouls. The only stat Shaq had over Duncan in their h2h was blocks, and FG%.
Pulling up Shaq and h2h records when comparing Kobe and Duncan, as if people don't remember Shaq was the leader on those Laker teams, when he was teaming up with Kobe, who is someone you had in the top 5 but not Shaq, and still managed to only go 3-2 on Duncan and the Spurs, and yet Duncan wasn't on your top 5. The level of abject idiocy is astounding.
Kobe had higher highs than Duncan when Duncan's high included b2b MVPs, while Kobe only got 1 in a year his team underperformed and got embarrassed in the finals. When Kobe's high in his career was leading the league in scoring while missing the playoffs, when his high was winning a FMVP when Pau Gasol (yeah, someone who is not even on most people's top 30) outplayed him statistically. Hey, when I say Duncan won three FMVP, at least I can say he won all three when he actually led the Spurs. You just can't say the same things for Kobe.

Career Highs (Kobe / Duncan):
Ortg - Drtg = 12 / 18 (Duncan's career average is 14, which is higher than Kobe's career high )
WS = 15.3 / 17.8
WS/48 - .224 / .257
VORP = 7.1 / 8.1
BPM = 6.4 / 7.6 (Duncan has FIVE, count them, FIVE, seasons where he had a 6.4 or better BPM, while Kobe had only 3 seasons with a BPM better than Duncan's career average of 5.5)


Career Lows (Kobe / Duncan):
Ortg - Drtg = -27 / 8
WS = -0.4 / 5.9
WS/48 = -0.097 / .164
VORP = -0.2 / 1.8 (Kobe had FOUR seasons where his VORP was lower than Duncan's career low of 1.8)
BPM = -5.9 / 2.4

Missing the playoffs THREE times is better than losing in the finals.
Getting dominated by Paul Pierce and embarrassed by 39 points is better than losing in OT in the finals
Three-peating with Shaq winning all three FMVP, with Shaq leading the Lakers in WS, VORP, ORTG, DRTG, VORP, BPM is a highlight of his career.
Repeating with MVPau leading the Lakers in WS, Ortg (and a higher DRtg than Kobe), BPM, and VORP is the highlight of his career.
Going past a 3peat team in the 2nd round is the high of Duncan's career when he won two MVPs, three FMVP (including one where he had a near quadruple double), led the league in WS, VORP, BPM, DRTG, and rebounds (multiple times in some categories), and won the le 5 times, including leading the team in major statistical categories in 4 of them.

He's still only 2-4 when facing Kobe. Same coach... same players... yet Kobe dominates him.

So when you compare Hakeem to Duncan, teammates matter, but when it was Kobe vs. Duncan, it was 2-4, with no mention of teammates. In 4 of the wins, Shaq was on three of those teams (and Duncan still managed to go 2-3 going up against Kobe AND Shaq), and the other one was the Lakers being le favourites BECAUSE they got MVPau.

Why didn't Kobe face Duncan more during their 18 years together in the league? Maybe because Kobe missed three playoffs, lost in the 1st round 3 times before they met, and Kobe rupturing his Achilles to face the Spurs in the 1st round.

Meanwhile, the Spurs lost in the 1st round 4 times (including one where Duncan was injured), and didn't miss the playoffs during that time.

Not to mention, Duncan was actually 28-21 going up against Kobe, including the playoffs.

Another funny thing, in the 18 seasons Duncan played with the Spurs, he led them in WS 12 times, including 4 of the 5 championship years.

Kobe, 7 of the 19 years, and NONE of any of the championship years. NONE. That's right, ZERO.