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USA Basketball: Which Players Will Benefit The Most?

By Cameron Stewart

Jul 22, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA forward Paul George (13) dunks the ball against Argentina during a basketball exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA forward Paul George (13) dunks the ball against Argentina during a basketball exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 22, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Argentina guard Facundo Campazzo (7) passes the ball behind USA center DeAndre Jordan (6) to Argentina center Roberto Santiago Acuna (35) during a basketball exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena. USA won 111-74. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Argentina guard Facundo Campazzo (7) passes the ball behind USA center DeAndre Jordan (6) to Argentina center Roberto Santiago Acuna (35) during a basketball exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena. USA won 111-74. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports /

DeAndre Jordan

For much of DeAndre Jordan’s career, he’s existed only in the Los Angeles Clippers universe.

It’s not just that he’s been with the Clippers for his entire career, except for the few days where he agreed to join the Dallas Mavericks before reneging on that commitment to re-join the Clippers. It’s that Jordan has only existed in the minds of NBA fans as a side piece.

Sure, Jordan’s a great talent and was voted All-NBA First Team this year.

But for the most part, the Clippers are Chris Paul’s team and Blake Griffin is the first player that comes to mind when you think of the team’s Lob City nickname. To most, Jordan is a product of his team.

With Team USA, Jordan gets a chance to bust out of the shadows of his teammates in Los Angeles by showing he’s elite at what he does.

When people think of Jordan as one of the game’s best big men, it’s usually not in a way that speaks primarily to Jordan and is more an indictment of the state of the game’s big men.

When Jordan makes All-NBA First Team, it sparks discussions on if the center position should be taken out of the All-NBA Team structure, as it has been taken away from the All-Star Game and replaced by adding an extra frontcourt player, often a wing.

When we talk about the Clippers, Jordan is the third wheel. Whenever we talk about the league’s best big men, we talk about Jordan’s weaknesses when it’s time to discuss his game.

With a strong performance with Team USA, Jordan could really boost his stock among the league and within his own team.

So far, coach Mike Krzyzewski has been impressed with Jordan’s game. Via Rowan Kavner of NBA.com:

"“As much as I’ve seen him on TV, I’ve never seen him in person,” Krzyzewski said. “As good as I thought he was on TV and on tape, he’s better. He’s really one of the great players in the league right now, and an amazing teammate. He does dirty work willingly, but he does it at the highest level. I think he’s a special player. “"

Jordan has improved his scoring average in each of his eight seasons, up to 13.6 points per game last season.

With the changes to the NBA’s “hacking” rules that should benefit Jordan, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jordan be on the court more in crunch time.

If Jordan earns a few more shots attempts per game while continuing to be one of the best rebounders and shot blockers in the league, he should begin to reach his full potential as an uber-athletic big man.

Next: PG-13