Center of Attention: DeAndre Jordan
- Updated: January 5, 2015
Keith Allison
DeAndre Jordan
Wizards v/s Clippers 03/12/11
DeAndre Jordan is slowly becoming one of the best centers in the NBA and yet no one is noticing it. From being chosen in the second round of 2008 NBA draft to finding his way into the Los Angeles Clippers’ starting lineup, Jordan is making his presence known.
Ever since entering the league in 2008, DeAndre Jordan has done nothing but improve. The 6’11 center out of Texas A&M University had many doubters coming out of college. There were questions about his defensive awareness, shot-blocking skills, and how hard he would play.
Boy, did he prove all of that wrong? In the 2014-2015 season, Jordan is second in blocks (78) and first in total rebounds (452). So much for that defensive awareness and shot-blocking ability question. Also, Jordan plays really hard on both ends of the court. Whether it be catching lobs, put-back dunks, or setting screens on offense, Jordan gives 100% effort every time he steps on the court. According to basketball-reference.com, 100 percent of his shots come from 2-point range and he makes 85% of his shots from 0-3 feet. This shows that Jordan will always be around the rim and inside the paint playing physical against any big man in the league. It sure doesn’t hurt that he is also being successful.
Let’s flip over to the defensive side of the court. Scouts really had concerns about him protecting the rim at the next level. In his ongoing, 6 year career Jordan is averaging 1.7 blocks a game. That is on an average of 25.2 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, Jordan averages 2.4 blocks per game in his career. Everyone knows the final key to a good defensive possession is rebounding. No worries there either. DeAndre Jordan led the NBA in rebounding last season, and this season with 13.6 total rebounds per game putting him on pace to do it again.
Now that Jordan has proved people wrong with his numbers. It’s time for him to show the NBA his real improvement with his defensive leadership. There is no better time than now since Doc Rivers is the head coach for the Clippers.
Jordan shared what Doc Rivers told him when the new coach arrived,
“He said he wanted me to be the leader and the anchor of our defense and he really meant that.”
Rivers did admit he wanted DeAndre to be the defensive anchor like Kendrick Perkins was for the 2008 championship Boston Celtics team. Rivers boosted his minutes from 24 a game to 35 minutes per game. This resulted in Jordan posting career-highs in scoring, rebounding, and blocking.
Not bad.
Thus far under Doc Rivers, with Jordan is looking better than Kendrick Perkins in the Celtics’ 2008 title run. In the 2007-2008 season Perkins averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2 blocks, and shot nearly 62% from the field. In the first full season with Doc Rivers, DeAndre Jordan averaged 10.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and shot 67% from the field.
It is pretty clear who is better and Doc Rivers has got to be excited about that.
When you watch DeAndre Jordan now compared to a few years ago, it almost seems like a completely new person. Of course playing alongside the likes of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin does not hurt. However, they overshadow his transformation as a player over the years. No one is appreciating the work DeAndre Jordan is putting in to improve each day.
In an interview with slamonline.com Jordan talks about improving when asked,
” So what areas of your game are you hopping to take to next level this coming season?”
This was his response:
“Honestly, I’m just looking to improve my game all-around. I’m looking to become a better defender, a better offensive threat for us. I want to be able to be a better free throw shooter for our team down the stretch, so I can stay in games and be able to get us stops, and also be able to execute offensively so we can win those games.”
The criticism of his maturity is out of the window and he plays harder than anyone on a NBA court. For a Los Angeles Clippers team looking to contend for the NBA championship, Jordan’s development is a major factor. Once he cleans up his low-post offensive game and free-throw shooting DeAndre Jordan will elevate the Clippers to heights the franchise has never seen in their history.
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