Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan 2015-16 Predictions
- Updated: September 22, 2015
All things considered Clipper fans after the offseason he had, we’re pretty lucky to still have an impactful center like DeAndre Jordan suiting up in the red, white and blue (and black now). That being said, his impact is felt in so many different areas and his potential to improve remains higher than ever. Let’s talk about the NBA’s rebounding champ over the last two seasons.
Simply said, DeAndre Jordan has become a significantly better player since Doc Rivers took over his training and growth as a center. The former second rounder out of Texas A&M has led the league in rebounding twice in a row now, averaging 13.6 per game in 2013-14 and 15.0 per game in 2014-15. Last season Jordan continued his dominance in the low post on the defensive side of the ball with 10.1 rebounds per game coming from that end of the court.
Will Jordan be able to retain his rebounding title? If he is able to stay active on the defensive boards and average double digits in rebounding on just that side of the ball he will be very difficult to beat in the category. I would expect Jordan to average slightly less than he did last season at about 13.9 RPG, as we can only hope the addition of bigs like Josh Smith and Cole Aldrich will allow Jordan to rest a little more than he did last season.
Even though Jordan has improved as a low post scorer, last season Head Coach Doc Rivers did not run any plays for the 6’11” big man. Despite Jordan not having any plays run his way, he still averaged a career-high in points per game with 11.5. Part of Jordan returning to Los Angeles this offseason was a promise from Rivers that he would be more involved in the offensive schemes moving forward. With that being said, Jordan has a very limited post game and while we did see an improvement last season, in order for Jordan to make a larger impact on the offense he’s going to have to learn how to make a shot out of the paint.
As much as we would all love to see Jordan develop a shot outside of the paint, lets be more realistic here, that’s just not going to happen. However I do expect Jordan’s points per game to increase from last season because with even just one play designed for him on the offensive end it should improve his productivity to the tune of 13.3 PPG.
Statistically there are very few things to measure on how impactful Jordan is on the defensive end of the floor. While Jordan had his second best year in blocks per game, averaging 2.2, it’s what isn’t written that makes him a force. Jordan’s ability to scare shooters away from the rim and take over the paint makes him one of the best defensive centers in the league. Since the arrival of Doc Rivers the Clippers defense has not improved dramatically the way many fans had hoped, but without Jordan protecting the paint, this defense would be in shambles.
I am purposely not speaking about DeAndre’s free throw percentage in this article because I don’t find it necessary to write about lost causes. Free throw jokes aside, I expect a great season from Jordan this year and know that his play will be crucial to the Clippers trying to raise their first ever NBA title.
Final Statistical Projections in 2015-16 for DeAndre Jordan
PPG: 13.3
RPG: 13.9
BPG: 2.4
FG%: 69%
FT%: 41%
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