You’re The GM: Roy Hibbert Or DeAndre Jordan?

In last week’s “You’re The GM” Bradley Beal took down bragging rights over Dion Waiters, in a win for the Washington Wizards shooting guard. This week however, we turn our attentions to the big men in the NBA, the centers who seem to get less love than they ever have before.

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There is no doubt this is the age of the point guard, but having a skilled big man on your team is still a must for playoff hopefuls. With

the most unique big in the league and

nearly back to his best, we’re going to look at two of the other premiere bigs in the NBA. Both

and

have their fans and their detractors, but given the choice, who would you rather have on your team?

DeAndre Jordan

Since being selected in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, the initially raw big man has grown into an athletic freak on the court. In fact, the team have increased their win rate every year since he’s been on the team.

All right, so Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have a lot to do with that fact, but what is also a fact is this guy is the defensive anchor for this team. Although he is on the receiving end of some lovely lobs from Paul, offense really isn’t his game, and he knows that. Jordan thrives on the defensive end, and that mindset is part of the reason this Clippers team has turned into a Western Conference powerhouse.

While his 13.6 rebounds last season was easily a career high, so too was his 10.4 points. Jordan averaged a double-double, all while taking a back seat with Paul and Griffin driving this team. That’s impressive in itself. His 2.5 blocks a game was good for third best in the league, and his ability to make attackers alter their shots in the paint is an attribute of his game that is underrated. Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder gets plaudits for doing this, but Jordan does similar work on an equally flashy team, yet it is not noted as much.

His Player Efficiency Rating of 18.2 is above the league average of 15, although it still lags way behind Paul and Griffin, who are both into the 20s. Nevertheless though, it is clear he is making a difference when on the court. In fact, his defensive chops mask the inabilities of other teammates, something Dwight Howard perfected while with the Orlando Magic. He has not missed a single game in the last three years, and has started each of those contests too.

While offensively he doesn’t give a team a whole lot, he is still there for the put backs, and the effort he shows on the court allows him to score as his average clearly shows. He shot a ludicrous sixty-seven percent last year, although that was mostly accumulated around the basket and through big dunks. At only twenty-six though, there is much to like here.

Roy Hibbert

It seems strange to think now, but at one point Roy Hibbert was supposed to be the X-factor to get the Indiana Pacers past the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat lacked any real height, and Hibbert was a bruising center in the truest sense of the word. He can still be that guy, it just seems he has lost his way somewhat.

For a guy so big and bulky, rarely has a guy not used those attributes and turned them into rebounds on the court. Hibbert averaged just 6.6 last year, although he was still an All-Star for the second time in his career.

To put that into a little bit of perspective, Philadelphia 76ers point guard and rookie Michael Carter-Willaims averaged 6.2 a game. Sure, Carter-Williams is long for his position, but that is simply not acceptable if you’re Roy Hibbert. More frustrating however, is the fact we have all seen his talents in full display before. Although he has moaned before about not seeing enough of the ball, he is capable of doing damage when he does see it more.

He has a couple of nice go to moves in the post, and they usually lead to scores for his team. In this sense he might be more offensively accomplished than Jordan in that he has these moves in his arsenal, it’s just we don’t see them every game.

However his 10.8 points a game last year was only slightly more than Jordan. Where Hibbert also has joy is with his free throw shooting. Although Jordan got to the foul line on average 4.6 times a game last year, he only shot 43 percent once there. That’s a poor number.

By comparison, Hibbert got to the line less (four times a game last year) but converted so much more of those freebies at 77 percent. So while some think Hibbert shies away from the physical nature of the game in the paint, actually he gets harmed a lot, leading to those successful trips to the line.

Perhaps what is most disappointing about Hibbert is the fact we expected him to be further along as a player by now. Interestingly though, this will be his team this year with Paul George out through injury, so the opportunity is there to elevate his game across the board. Jordan has also never been an All-Star to Hibbert’s aforementioned two, so there is that as well. It just seems he hasn’t grasped the opportunity he has been given with both hands, but of course that could change this coming season.

Verdict

For me personally, it’s got to be DeAndre Jordan. They could both be similar players in this league, but it is the attitude of Jordan that has allowed him to grow into a key piece for the Clippers. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty while the likes of Griffin and Paul get all the credit, and that has helped his team to become one of the best in the NBA. Hibbert on the other hand has better ability and tools than Jordan, he just hasn’t done enough for me to build on them and become truly dominant in the league. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still got a lot going for him, it could just be so much better.

I also just can’t get past his horror show in the playoffs last year. In two series, one against the Atlanta Hawks and another against the Washington Wizards, he didn’t record a single point or rebound. Foul trouble in the Wizards game in particular didn’t help, but that isn’t much of an excuse. Hibbert was bad for the second half of last season, while Jordan quietly produced. This makes the decision even easier in my mind. Who would you take though? As usual picks in the comment section below with the winner announced next week!