DeAndre Jordan is so much more than the defensive anchor that keeps the LA Clippers’ ship from sailing away.
Dec 30, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers are LeBron James‘ team. The New York Knicks are Carmelo Anthony‘s team. The LA Clippers are DeAndre Jordan‘s team.
Don’t get me wrong. I am in no way equating DeAndre to LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony. Chris Paul is obviously the best player on the Clippers. The successes the Clippers have had over the past several years are largely attached to him, and rightfully so. There’s also Blake Griffin, who was truly the first step in turning the franchise around for good.
During the infamous but fun Lob City days, whenever someone would think the Clippers, they’d think Blake and Chris. They’re the faces of the franchise, and have always been. Chris and Blake. Blake and Chris. One of the best duos in the NBA and what the Clippers desperately needed for so long. Fast forward to the present, and DeAndre has expanded their duo to a big three to include himself. But even still, DJ is always the third wheel of the Big 3, and he deserves so much more.
More often than not, DJ is overlooked as the guy who just happened to be there the whole time, experiencing everything with little impact on the game. That’s far from true. Of all the people it takes to run a sports franchise, there are only several people in its entirety who’ve been with the team longer than him and are still there now. In other words, he’s one of the only people that experienced firsthand the Stone Ages of the past and is still here for the Renaissance period. He’s been there when the team was rock bottom and is now here for the team’s success.
Through hell and high water, DeAndre has been here. He’s seen players come and go, and was as close to doing so himself that you can be. He’s seen it all with the Clippers, and he deserves to win it all with the Clippers just as much, if not more than Blake and Chris.
But what about when he nearly left the team to play for Dallas?
Jordan had every right to want to go to the Dallas Mavericks. He’s far too often taken for granted. When someone is around all the time and does their job consistently, you tend to forget about them. When Jordan initially decided to go to Dallas he was in search for change in the form of a larger role.
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I still remember how heartbroken I was that day. What could any other team have that we don’t have? Why would he leave us for another team, Dallas of all places, when he already has so much here? (I was so discouraged and distraught, but thankfully it didn’t have to last for long.) It wasn’t until a week or two ago when I finally realized why DeAndre could’ve wanted such a change.
After sitting through those cringe-worthy games when both Blake and Chris were out with injuries, its understandable why Jordan may feel insecure, especially on offense. Without Blake’s versatility and CP3’s overall point-godness, DeAndre was sort of exposed on the offensive end. It’s also understandable why he may get frustrated with injuries around him, when he’s virtually never injured and has played in 93 percent of his games (631 games out of 679) over the span of his 9 year career, and has even went four straight seasons without missing a game.
Maybe he felt like he was at a dead end in L.A. and that he should reinvent himself somewhere else if he wanted real success. But then again, the Clippers had just come off of a few really weird losses to the Houston Rockets and that wound was still painfully raw.
The Clippers are DeAndre’s team just as much as they are Chris’ or Blake’s
The LA Clippers will never ever, absolutely ever find someone like DeAndre Jordan. Imagine if he actually did sign with Dallas. The Clippers would’ve been lost without him. No one else in the league knows the system and the players in L.A. as well as Jordan does, not to mention how much losing his interior defense would have hurt. A new starting center would have set the team back at least a year, which here in Clipperland is more than one would think.
Okay, so what? This is DeAndre’s team. What does it mean moving forward? How can this help the Clippers?
It means that he needs to be confident in his role on this team. That starts with him knowing who he is and what he’s capable of, and him being okay with what that is. It also starts with him knowing where else he can contribute. He may not be the floor general that Chris is or the “muscle” of the team like Blake is, but there are other things he can bring to the table.
For example, one thing DeAndre has recently began doing this season is being more of a vocal leader on the court. This season’s mantra is #ItTakesEverything, and that includes things that may seem less important like that.
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It’s hard to look ahead to the LA Clippers’ future without hope when DeAndre is a leader of the team. It’s time to have faith in our Big Hero 6.
