The Lakers’ backcourt of the future has been recognized as such by the rest of the league, as Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell were selected to the Rising Stars Challenge on Wednesday.
Voted in by the league’s assistant coaches, the duo will become the eighth and ninth Lakers to ever represent in the game, which will be held at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Feb. 12.
“I think it says that a lot of people see a lot of promise in them; that they’ve had a pretty good season so far,” head coach Byron Scott said at Wednesday’s practice. “But what it tells me is that they still have a ways to go.
“They have to continue to work, because you don’t want to stop at the Rookie and Sophomore Game. You want to get to the All-Star Game.”
Clarkson and Russell will join eight other Americans on the U.S. Team, which will face off against the World Team made up of NBA players from around the globe.
Clarkson called the selection “humbling” considering that just 18 months ago he dropped to the 46th pick of the 2014 draft.
After being named First Team All-Rookie last season, he is now averaging 15.1 points — the second-most of all sophomores — and has hit double figures in 15 straight games.
“I’m not here for the awards, rewards or any of that,” Clarkson said. “I’ve come to hoop and play. I just want to be good. I just want to be great one day.”
Meanwhile Russell has averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals during his first year. The second-overall pick is also hitting a rookie-high 1.6 3-pointers per game, while ranking third in assists and steals among his class.
“You see guys that are really playing well, and you see who’s really separating themselves from the younger guys in this league,” Russell said. “For you to be listed as one of them is a heck of an experience.”
One notable omission from the U.S. team’s roster was Julius Randle, who leads all sophomores in rebounds (9.6) and double-doubles (16). The 21-year old is also contributing 10.6 points and ranks 13th among all NBA players in boards.
“He’s almost averaging a double-double, so I don’t know what else that it is that he has to do,” Scott said.
