What If DeAndre Jordan Plays For The Spurs In 2015?

When I think of the Los Angeles Clippers there is only one event that comes into my mind. 

It’s not the Donald Sterling tragedy, It’s not the best point guard in the NBA Chris Paul, It’s not Lob City and it sure isn’t the Blake Griffin Kia commercials.

The iconic memory for me when I think of the Clippers is DeAndre Jordan mashing on Brandon Knight and sending him back to his mother’s womb. 

Not only did that dunk give Jordan the attention as ONE OF THE PLAYERS YOU NEED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY WHEN HE JUMPS, it also gave people notice about his game. Next year the former Texas A&M stud can win the 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

But what if he played for the San Antonio Spurs, how good would he become?

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We have seen it before, the big name star goes back to his hometown to attempt to a championship (yes you LeBron).

Jordan, hailing from Houston, is a native Texan and is only about three hours away from San Antonio. Though the Spurs do not need Jordan to win rings, having him play on their roster would increase their championship window.

The impact of Jordan is grand, last season playing in Los Angeles the Clippers were great defensively. They finished the season allowing 101.0 points per game and were 14th per game in rebounding. In addition, they were ninth in defensive rating in the NBA. Those numbers are great but compare it to the Spurs who finished the season as the third best team in defensive rating.  

Though the Spurs are incredibly stacked defensively, having an athletic big man gives power forward Tim Duncan another front court mate who can defend the paint actively and aggressively.

The biggest weakness of Jordan’s game is that sometimes players make simple moves on him and score. While other times when he gives maximum effort he has ability to stop plays.

Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated had this to say on Jordan’s defense:

"“Despite Jordan’s presence, [The Clippers] allow their opponents to shoot one of the highest percentages in the restricted area in the league — a whopping 62.9 percent.”"

Though a part of this falls on Griffin’s lack of on ball defense, a part goes to Jordan’s lack of relying on his length and athleticism to block shots instead of staying in position. Simply put, it shows he needs more discipline as a defender.

How much more of a better defender would Jordan become when he plays next to Duncan and learns from him during the twilight years of his career? Duncan who has made his name for being fundamentally sound can still play on ball defense well, and is still a great help side defender.

The raw skill that the 26-year-old Jordan has, cannot be taught. In arguably his best season as a professional Jordan had 22 consecutive games with 10 plus rebounds and one block, which is the second most in NBA history. Jordan accomplished that feat and passed Hakeem Olajuwon for the accomplishment.

In addition in the last five years there has only been one player that has averaged double-digit rebounds and at least two blocks a game that has won the Defensive Player of the Year award and that is Dwight Howard. The Houston Rockets center has three Defensive Player of the Year trophies to his name. Right now there are only two other players that are strong first time candidates to win this award, one is Anthony Davis and the other is Jordan.  

The underlying message is that Jordan needs more credit. Playing for the Clippers on a team where he is definitely overshadowed by his two MVP superstar teammates in Griffin and Paul, Jordan is the reason they are competitive. If the Clippers didn’t have Jordan they would not have a chance to win an NBA Championship. Head Coach Doc Rivers noticed it when he began working for the Clippers. In an interview with Arash Markazi Rivers said this:

"[Jordan] is just too young and too gifted to let walk out your door, bottom line. He’s a game changer defensively. He can single-handedly change a game with his defense. There’s five guys, and that number maybe too high, that can do that single-handedly with their size and athleticism and he’s one of them. When you have one of those guys, you want to keep them.”"

Think about it. If Jordan was the starting center for the San Antonio Spurs and was under the defensive system of a future Hall of Fame coach in Gregg Popovich, he would have one of the most decorated careers just from playing defense.

Ever heard of Dikembe Mutombo? He’s most likely going to the Hall of Fame simply because of his defense.

After a difficult game and the Spurs pull out a victory close, I could see an interaction between Popovich and the media playing out like this.

"Question: “Can you comment on how DeAndre Jordan is playing?Popovich: “Are you serious? He’s one of the best shot blockers in the game.”"

Though notoriously candid in his interviews and very sarcastic, Pop gives credit to his players when credit is due. 

Jordan needs a lot more credit and the people needs to realize that Jordan arguably is one of the two or three best defenders in the game overall and at his position.

On any championship caliber team, Jordan would make them that much more dominant. For a team that is budding with young talent such as Kawhi Leonard, and Danny Green, Jordan would mesh well with players than can open up the paint. 

Next season Jordan is an unrestricted free agent, and though I do not think he is worth a maximum contract, I believe that if he landed on the right situation (the Spurs) he is the key to championship success. 

With that being said, leaving Los Angeles with a NBA Defensive Player of the Year award could give Jordan even more incentive to ask for 30 million dollars more when he hits the open market. 

If this happens, Lakers fans are somewhere cheering since they’ll stay as Los Angeles’ team … and then get upset when the realize another one of their rivals continues to prolong a dynasty.