Does DeAndre Jordan Make The LA Clippers A Title Contender?

When the Los Angeles Clippers entered this offseason, after a disappointing exit from the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Houston Rockets, their top, and easily most important, priority was to retain center DeAndre Jordan.

After initially whiffing on Jordan, who committed to signing a 4-year max contract with the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers got an unorthodox second shot at him.

Jordan pulled off a spectacular flip-flop, going back on his verbal commitment to Dallas in favor of returning to Los Angeles, all while breaking America in the process. While I could, and would certainly love, to talk about the Clippers barricading themselves in Jordan’s house and all of the festivities that went on, the basketball side of this debacle in almost as intriguing.

Jordan’s Rube Goldberg-like decision making skills aside, he is a defensive force who can change a defense. His size and athleticism make him a marquee shot-blocker, one who averaged 2.2 per-game last season. Additionally, his rebounding statistics, though bloated, are still impressive as he averaged 15 rebounds per-game last year, which was best in the league. Inflated or not, leading the NBA in rebounding is no small feat.

Alone though, Jordan makes the Clippers no better than they were last season. Although he’s seen improvement in each of his NBA seasons, they needed more. Fortunately, they got more.

First came the trade for defunct Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson that sent big-man Spencer Hawes and forward Matt Barnes to the Queen City. Stephenson was dreadful in Charlotte but his promising play prior to his one-year stint with the Hornets in Indiana suggest that there is something to be gained from Stephenson’s presence. Charlotte counted on Stephenson’s scoring seeing improvement. Instead it regressed. He shot 17.1-percent from three-point range in a Charlotte jersey. That’s an all-time worst among players who have shot at least 100 threes in a season. Luckily, Stephenson will be complimented by more perimeter talent in Los Angeles, giving him open lanes and targets to pass to. Defensively, Stephenson will need to be less of a daredevil and play within the confines of the scheme. That can be fixed with time, and Stephenson is looking like a great candidate to benefit from Chris Paul and Doc Rivers‘ instruction.

Stephenson can also handle the ball and run the point for stretches. While the ball can be subject to sticking in Stephenson’s possession, if he can use his ball-handling ability to create for others as well as find his own shot, he should be a serviceable facilitator to spell Chris Paul. This would allow Austin Rivers (assuming he re-signs) to slash off the ball and defend. He would no longer be tasked with running the offense which, frankly, he wasn’t very good at last season.

As I said before, Matt Barnes was traded. For the past couple of seasons the Clippers have tried, in-vain, to replace Barnes as the starting small forward. That problem was finally addressed this offseason with the signing of Paul Pierce who, though aged, is a clear upgrade at the position.

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

Pierce got off to a slow start last season with the Washington Wizards shooting below 40-percent from the field in the early season. Lucky for Washington then, that Pierce found his footing and became a key cog in the Wizards’ playoff run. Still versatile enough to play the power forward spot in a pinch, and still able to shoot from distance, The Truth, I think, will help out a lot more than is being projected.

Lastly, there’s the unheralded signing of Wesley Johnson who started most of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers at small forward last year. As a starter Johnson was, to put it kindly, sub-par. Behind Pierce and Crawford and/or Stephenson at times though, Johnson can be a decent layer of depth on the wing. He’s not great at any one thing but his all-around game can be useful if utilized correctly.

In short: DeAndre Jordan doesn’t make the Clippers a title contender, he simply ensures that they won’t be any worse than they were last year. The added depth and skill around him and his all-star compatriots is what has turned this team into a true contender.