The Los Angeles Clippers need star big man DeAndre Jordan to score more moving forward.
DeAndre Jordan came into the 2017-18 NBA season as one of the top offensive options for the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, he has failed to score the basketball at the rate that his team needed him to following Chris Paul‘s exit from L.A.
Throughout the first 10 games of the season, Jordan has averaged 10.1 points per game to go along with 14.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He has shot 58.8 percent from the field overall and has taken his free throw game to a new level, shooting a career-high 61.8 percent.
Needless to say though, those scoring numbers are not what the Clippers were hoping to see from Jordan. He was expected to embrace the larger offensive role, as he has been rumored to have wanted a bigger role in L.A. for quite a few years. There is also no reason for his lack of scoring production.
Standing in at 6’11” and 265 pounds, Jordan is one of the most physically gifted players in the NBA. There are very few opposing centers who can stand up to his physical stature. He has yet to use the body to become an offensive weapon for the Clippers.
Most of Jordan’s points have come from alley-oops or put-backs. He has failed to show development his post game to the point of being a go-to threat in the paint.
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Looking ahead at the remainder of the season, the Clippers need Jordan to step up his scoring.
Blake Griffin has been playing extremely well, but defenses have been able to focus on shutting him down. Without a legitimate secondary scorer, Griffin will continue to see a high rate of double-teams and defensive pressure.
Los Angeles lost Paul this offseason, which has been tough to bounce back from. He formed a dynamic duo with Griffin on the offensive end of the court and that has not been replaced. At this point in the season, Lou Williams has been the Clippers’ second-best scorer at 14.8 points per game.
Jordan is more than capable of becoming the second-leading scorer for the Clippers. If he demands the basketball down low and becomes more aggressive, there is no reason that he can’t average around 15-16 points per game at least. That kind of production would make the Clippers a much more dangerous team in the Western Conference.
Doc Rivers has done a good job early on this season figuring out how to utilize his new roster. He has gotten the most out of many players, especially Patrick Beverley, but there is no one on the roster that can replace the kind of production that Jordan should be able to give the Clippers.
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With all of that being said, the Clippers are borderline playoff contenders. If they want to become a serious team to watch in the West, they will need Jordan to step up and become a factor on the offensive end of the floor.