Count me in the camp that thought Doc Rivers went over the top the past couple seasons in pumping up DeAndre Jordan. I get why he did it, after Vinny Del Negro had torn Jordan down Rivers built him back up to being an elite center and confidence was at the heart of it. However, the past couple seasons Rivers was pushing Jordan for Defensive Player of the Year when the Clippers defense was just as good when he sat (last season the Clipper defense was 0.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court). Watch him closely and you saw Jordan struggle with the finer points of defense.
This season, Jordan has improved his consistency, timing, and doing those little things on defense — and he continues to be a force on offense as the most dangerous roll man in the game.
The Denver Nuggets saw all of that Sunday. Above you can see one of Jordan’s ferocious dunks. Below, check out his six blocked shots, three of them on Emmanuel Mudiay. He had 16 points and 16 rebounds to key to Los Angeles’ 105-90 win.
