Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan Makes Case For Another All-NBA Nod
DeAndre Jordan has been a rock for the Los Angeles Clippers this season, despite injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. He continues to make his case for another All-NBA nod.
DeAndre Jordan is in the middle of the best 12-month stretch of his career. Jordan was named the best center in the NBA last year, receiving a first team All-NBA nod. He then made his first All-Star team this season in addition to participating in the Dunk Contest.
His vastly improved defense and historic offensive efficiency have made him one of the league’s best big men.
The Los Angeles Clippers have relied on Jordan’s consistency more than ever this season. Despite breaking his iron man streak due to illness earlier in the year, DeAndre has started in 74 of the Clippers’ 75 games.
He continued to anchor the defense despite injuries to both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Related Story: Los Angeles Clippers--25 Best Players
The Clippers have already clinched a playoff spot, but they have been battling inconsistency down the stretch of this season. DeAndre, however, continues to be a constant force on both ends.
Although Jordan has more competition for the center slots on the All-NBA teams this year, his contributions on both ends of the floor make him a prime candidate for any of the three All-NBA teams.
Offensive Efficiency
DeAndre Jordan is once again on track for a historically efficient offensive season. He shot 70.97 percent from the floor in 2014-15, the second-best full season percentage ever behind Wilt Chamberlain in 1972-73.
He then followed that up by shooting 70.28 percent from the floor last season, third-best all time. His current mark of 70.8 percent would surpass his mark from last season. That would leave him with three of the top five field goal percentages for a season in NBA history.
Jordan’s efficiency is rooted in his great shot selection and his role in the Clippers’ offense. He plays alongside two elite passers and scorers in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Teams try to limit Jordan’s ability to roll to the rim as much as possible.
However, they also have to keep tabs on Paul, Griffin and J.J. Redick at all times. This. in turn, creates the tiny windows of space that Jordan needs to get to the basket. Once there, he is nearly impossible to stop:
Although people may argue that Jordan is a mediocre offensive player due to his limited shooting range, he knows and fills his role as well as anyone in the league. Jordan has taken only 25 shots outside of five feet from the basket.
He has made 11-of-23 attempts from five to nine feet from the rim per NBA.com. The other two shots were last-second heaves from three-point range, both misses.
DeAndre Jordan might not be a 20-point per game scorer, but he does not wreck the offense will ill-advised shots or demands for frequent post touches. He may only average 12.5 points per game, but he does so with unprecedented accuracy.
Historic Accuracy
Live Feed
The Smoking Cuban
Many people underrate Jordan’s historic efficiency under the assumption that he cannot do anything but dunk. They argue that he cannot be a good offensive player without the ability to make jump shots.
However, no other player in NBA history with the exception of Chamberlain have ever been anywhere near as effective. If his current percentage holds over the final seven games, he will crack 70 percent from the floor for the third time in his career.
The rest of the NBA combined across the entire history of the league has just one such season–Chamberlain’s 72.7 percent in 1972-73.
One could argue that any hyper-athletic big man could put up these numbers with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to pass them the ball. However, Tyson Chandler currently has the fifth-best field goal percentage season at 67.9 percent in 2011-12.
He played with Chris Paul during Paul’s prime in New Orleans, but never cracked 63 percent from the floor. If any elite athletic big man could fill DeAndre’s shoes, it would stand to reason that more than one other player in the history of the NBA could match his offensive efficiency. To brush off Jordan’s efficiency by saying that anyone else could do what he has done is to brush off the entire history of the league.
Defensive Anchor
In addition to his offensive brilliance, DeAndre Jordan is one of the best defensive centers in the league. He combines his superior athletic talents with an incredible knowledge of defensive positioning.
Clippers guard Raymond Felton praised Jordan’s defensive IQ and communication in an interview with the Los Angeles Times:
"Felton commented that Jordan is “always talking, he’s always letting us know screens are coming … he lets you know what the plays are.”"
In an interview with David Locke shortly before the All-Star game, an anonymous NBA coach said that he thought Jordan was more valuable on that end than Rudy Gobert.
He stated that “when you play against [Jordan], he knows every one of your plays,” another point in favor of Jordan’s defensive IQ. He has the foot speed to keep up with most wings and guards, and his defensive rotations are nearly impeccable.
That allows him to recover and defend the rim even after being drawn out to the perimeter:
DeAndre Jordan has a Defensive Real Plus-Minus of 3.28 this season per ESPN, trailing only Gobert and Zaza Pachulia among starting centers. The Clippers have a defensive rating of 103.7 with Jordan on the floor per NBA.com. That jumps to 109.9 with Jordan out of the game.
Los Angeles Clippers
The only player on the Clippers with a higher off-court defensive rating is Chris Paul, an elite defender in his own right. Defensive excellence is the most important skill for any NBA center, and DeAndre Jordan is one of the best big men on that end of the floor.
The Gobert-Jordan Debate
DeAndre Jordan will face some stiff competition in his bid to make another All-NBA team. While a strong case could be made for four other centers, Jordan’s play on both ends of the floor will be hard for voters to ignore.
Rudy Gobert may have lost out to Jordan in terms of All-Star consideration, but his case against Jordan is arguably the strongest among the league’s elite centers. Gobert anchors a Utah Jazz defense that allows the fewest points per game in the NBA.
Utah also has the third-best defensive rating in the league per NBA.com. Gobert’s defensive real plus-minus of 5.82 is far better than Jordan’s. Furthermore, his overall RPM of 6.48 stands above Jordan’s second-place mark of 3.99 by a significant margin.
In addition to his great defense, Gobert is also having an incredibly efficient offensive season. His 65.9 percent shooting from the floor is slightly behind Jordan, but he is still second in the league in that area. Rudy Gobert might have lost to Jordan in the All-Star race.
However, he has a better case than anyone for taking over for Jordan on the All-NBA first team. With Utah currently ahead of the Clippers in the standings, that seeding difference might decide who gets the nod as the league’s best center.
The Rest of the Competition
DeAndre Jordan’s other challengers for an All-NBA spot fall short on at least one end of the floor. Marc Gasol may have been the leader in the clubhouse after keeping the Memphis Grizzlies afloat earlier in the season, but he has fallen off significantly on both ends since the All-Star break.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
His defensive RPM of 0.93 is 45th out of 69 qualified centers.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been on fire since February and is averaging 24.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. However, Boris Diaw is the only nominal center with a worse defensive RPM that Towns’ minus-1.39 mark.
Anthony Davis was performing exceptionally on both ends at center for the New Orleans Pelicans to start the season. However, he and DeMarcus Cousins (an elite offensive center like Towns who also struggles on defense) will probably cancel each other out.
If Davis makes an All-NBA squad this season, it will probably be as a forward.
DeAndre Jordan might not repeat as the center on the NBA’s first team squad. However, his stellar offensive and defensive play make him worthy of a nod on one of the All-NBA teams. He has risen quite far from second-round pick to elite center and NBA record-holder.
Next: 50 Greatest Duos Of All-Time
He has a good shot at further cementing his legacy with another All-NBA selection.