He may not make the cut, but the LA Clippers’ dominant center DeAndre Jordan has never been a more deserving NBA All-Star.
The LA Clippers have lost their last two games in the frustrating absence of the injured Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but don’t let that take away from just how good DeAndre Jordan has become.
DJ’s confidence on offence this season was evidently boosted by his gold medal winning run with Team USA over the summer, but in the last month he’s taken his game to a whole new level.
In the month of January in nine games, DJ is averaging 16.9 points, 16.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, with four 20-rebound games, a 24-point outing against the Lakers, going 12-of-13 from the field and most recently, setting a new 29-point career-high against the young Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jordan is without a doubt one of the best players in the league who have never made an All-Star team, but with Paul and Griffin almost certainly out of the New Orleans festivities, that could be about to change.
Assuming that DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Marc Gasol and Draymond Green are the reserves, that leaves two wildcard spots and an injury replacement for CP3 which will almost certainly be Klay Thompson. Damian Lillard is likely to take up one of those spots despite the Portland Trail Blazers free-falling to the 9th seed, and if not Dame, it could finally be the year Mike Conley is given the nod.
That leaves one final spot for DeAndre, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns to fight over.
At first glance, Towns is likely the favourite based on popularity and his statistical output, at 22-12-3 in 36 minutes this season, but the Timberwolves’ abysmal 15-28 record hurts his chances somewhat (Cousins has a similar issue, but he’s averaging a very efficient 28-10-4) so taking him out of the equation, it could be down to DJ and Gobert.
| Jordan (per 36 mins) | Gobert (per 36 mins) | Advantage |
| 14.3 PPG | 13.8 PPG | Jordan |
| 15.6 RPG | 13.7 RPG | Jordan |
| 1.1 APG | 1.0 APG | Jordan |
| 2.0 BPG | 2.7 BPG | Gobert |
| 0.7 SPG | 0.8 SPG | Gobert |
| 69.1 FG% | 66.2 FG% | Jordan |
| PER 21.2 | PER 22.4 | Gobert |
| LAC 29-16 | UTA 29-16 | Tied |
The similarities between them make it hard to pick one over the other. Gobert is arguably the best player on his team (although some may argue Gordon Hayward) and DJ would generally be classed as the third best Clipper behind Paul and Griffin, who Los Angeles have been, and will be without, for a good part of the season.
More from Clippers News
- Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
- 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
- How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
- Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver
- LA Clippers 2023-24 full 82-game schedule
But DJ’s absolute consistency on both ends of the floor for the last couple of years has always put him in the discussion to be an All-Star, anchoring one of the best defensive teams and leading the league in field goal percentage multiple times.
This time around, however, the circumstances are different.
Presumably neither Paul nor Griffin will participate in the Sunday night showcase, and the LA Clippers haven’t been without an All-Star representative since the 2008-09 season. If DJ isn’t selected as a reserve, they would be the only one of the six best teams in the league without a player in New Orleans.
Next: Why the Clippers should not trade this season
His recent play has earned him as strong a case as he’s ever had in his career, and with Kevin Garnett now on-board, his contributions on both ends of the floor should continue to develop and improve and hopefully the media continue to take note of this.