If you think of Los Angeles Clippers players likely to put up historic numbers, DeAndre Jordan probably isn’t the name that comes to mind.
Seven-time All-Star Chris Paul has led the NBA in assists on two occasions and in steals twice, three times if you count 2014-15 to this point. Blake Griffin has been an All-Star in all four seasons of his career and finished third in the MVP voting last year. However, Jordan is the Clipper who’s on pace to do something that hasn’t happened since 1972-73.
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That year, Wilt Chamberlain shot 72.7 percent from the floor and averaged 18.6 rebounds per game. A quick look at the NBA statistical leaders this season shows Jordan at the top of both of those categories, with a 70.7 field goal percentage and 13.7 rebounds per game. If Jordan can maintain those numbers he’ll be just the second NBA player ever to shoot over 70 percent and grab at least 13 rebounds a game.
In the Clippers’ 99-78 win over the New York Knicks on December 31, Jordan scored his 3,500th career point. According to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com, in doing so he became the first player since 1985-86 to score 3,500 points while shooting at least 65 percent from the field. Kavner writes:
"“It’s cool. I’ve got a long way until I reach 37,000,” Jordan said with a smile. “No, I’ve just been fortunate. I keep scoring a lot of easy buckets being on a team with guys who draw a lot of double teams. Just got to keep it going.”Jordan finished Wednesday’s game with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. It’s been a ridiculous month on the boards for Jordan, who entered the game having recorded at least 19 rebounds in consecutive games. He’s logged at least 10 rebounds in 29 of 33 games this season, which leads the NBA."
Just how impressive were Jordan’s rebounding totals last month?
DeAndre Jordan had 71 more rebounds than anyone else in the NBA in December 2014. He avg. 15.7 RPG for the month http://t.co/b1FhYS0gmh
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 1, 2015
The Los Angeles Times‘ Ben Bolch recently discussed how Jordan has made himself such a dominant rebounder:
"DeAndre Jordan’s newest method of securing the ball after missed shots involves tapping it out to his teammates on the perimeter.“If I can grab it, I’m going to grab it,” the Clippers center said, “but if I’m being held or if I’m far away, then I’m just going to try to tip it out.” …Jordan said he had improved his ability to tap the ball out to teammates by having them stationed outside the paint."
While the rebounding is a product of his own hard work, as Jordan admitted, the spectacular field goal percentage is largely due to the help of his teammates. A great number of his shots from the floor tend to be of this variety:
An abundance of dunks and other attempts at the rim allows for some justifiable criticism of Jordan’s inflated field goal percentage.
But regardless of where Jordan is shooting from, the 70 percent number can not be taken lightly. In NBA history, Chamberlain’s 1972-73 season is the only one in which a player logged any sort of meaningful minutes and also shot 70 percent from the field. Jordan’s 2014-15 campaign has a chance to be the second.