Missouri’s Jordan Clarkson is drafted in second round, ends up with Lakers
Missouri point guard Jordan Clarkson was selected Thursday in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Clarkson, who declared for the draft after his junior season, was chosen by the Washington Wizards with No. 46 overall pick. He immediately was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The Wizards received cash in exchange for the rights to Clarkson, a transfer from Tulsa who averaged 17.5 points in his only season with the Tigers.
Clarkson converted from shooting guard to point guard over the course of the year he sat out and led Missouri with 3.4 assists per game.
Clarkson, a native of San Antonio and a second-team All-SEC selection, also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
He shot 44.7 percent from the field, showing a knack for driving into the paint at will, and 83.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Clarkson joins a rebuilding Lakers’ roster that includes Kobe Bryant, who missed most of 2013-14 with injuries, and an aging Steve Nash.
In the NBA, Clarkson will have to improve his ball-handling, particularly dribbling with his left hand, and his outside shot after making only 28.1 percent last season from three-point range.
Meanwhile, former Missouri shooting guard Jabari Brown, who also left school after his junior season, went undrafted.
Brown, a transfer from Oregon, led Missouri and the Southeastern Conference at 19.9 points per game last season — the most since Kareem Rush in 2001 — and finished third in the conference with 4.4 rebounds.
He played 25 games for the Tigers as a sophomore after becoming eligible at midseason and finished second on that team in scoring (13.7).
Brown, an Oakland, Calif., native and first-team All-SEC performer, shot 46.7 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from three-point range. He also was a solid free-throw shooter (79.7 percent).
Nobody questions Brown’s perimeter-scoring ability, but he would need to improve his ball-handling and defense for the NBA.
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter at @todpalmer.
Dixon, Releford not picked
Lee’s Summit West graduate Michael Dixon Jr., who played three seasons at Missouri, and Bishop Miege graduate Trevor Releford, who started four years at Alabama, went undrafted Thursday.
Dixon finished his career at Memphis after leaving Missouri in November 2013 amid sexual assault allegations.
Dixon averaged 11.8 points as a senior but his best year came as a junior at Missouri when he averaged 13.5 points with 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals.
Releford averaged 18.5 points, 3.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season for the Crimson Tide.
| Tod Palmer, tpalmer@kcstar.com
This story was originally published June 26, 2014 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Missouri’s Jordan Clarkson is drafted in second round, ends up with Lakers."