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During the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers picked up last year’s Sixth Man of the Year award winner Montrezl Harrell. They also landed the runner-up to the award in Dennis Schroder. Harrell had a down year and Schroder was elevated to a starting role so the race for the award was wide open.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson seized the opportunity and put together an excellent season. He averaged 18.4 points a game, which led to the NBA awarding him as this year’s Sixth Man of the Year. LeBron James was a brief teammate of Clarkson’s in Cleveland during the 2017-2018 season. He had a message for the young guard after the news dropped.
Back when Clarkson was with the Lakers, he was considered one of their promising young pieces. They decided to trade him and he’s now coming into his own. He’s among several former Lakers who are starting to have a lot of success in the league. It’s looking like Clarkson will have a long career as one of the NBA’s best bench players.
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Are Jazz in Trouble?
The Jazz put together an excellent regular season. They finished with the best record in the NBA despite having a young squad. Unfortunately, things are starting to get tough for them. Utah lost Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, which is never a good sign for a young team.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was held out of the game due to injury despite wanting to play. Mitchell is not happy about not playing, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon. The last thing the Jazz want is to have their best player upset with the team. It’s hard to imagine the Grizzlies pull off the upset but Utah doesn’t have legit title hopes this year.
Andre Drummond Talks Lakers Adjustments
The Lakers were another team that had a bad Game 1. They looked lost against the Phoenix Suns. Andre Drummond didn’t have a great playoff debut with Los Angeles and wasn’t on the court late in the game. He believes the Lakers need to adjust and that they’ll figure things out the more they play together.
“I think with the big lineup, we didn’t have enough time to work on it, so it’s something that we’re kind of just throwing out there with little time and little experience,” Drummond said Monday. “I think we’re doing a good job of figuring it out on the fly despite us being in the playoffs right now.
“Obviously lineup changes are going to happen. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win, so it’s just feeling it out and doing what’s best for the team.”
It’s becoming clear quickly that Anthony Davis just doesn’t play well with Drummond on the court. The Lakers are obviously going to favor their superstar. It’s possible that Drummond sees his role become lessened as the playoffs go on. He’s a solid player but the fit is starting to look questionable.
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