Starting Center
Center #1, DeAndre Jordan: 34.2 MPG, 13.4 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 69.2 FG%
All hail DeAndre Jordan. The longest-tenured player on the roster is fresh off his first All-Star season, and even though Chris Paul is gone, DJ will still be among the league’s best bigs. That’s right, I said it. While Jordan certainly benefitted from having Paul throw him lobs, that wasn’t his whole game. Besides, Griffin threw a substantial amount of oops to DJ last season, and Milos will surely toss a few. The most important change in DJ’s game however, is that he could be shooting jumpers before we know it. Just recently, Jordan was seen shooting from outside the paint in an Instagram post. If this is true, we could see an all-new version of Jordan this year, perhaps better than before.
Reserve Center
Center #2, Willie Reed: 17.2 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.0 BPG
The final piece of the LA Clippers roster belongs to Willie Reed, who just departed the Miami Heat and signed for the minimum with LA. As a backup to Hassan Whiteside, Reed never saw much playing time, but always made the most of it when he did. He started a total of 5 games with Miami last season, averaging 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds across 28.5 minutes per contest. His best game came against the Phoenix Suns in January, when he scored 22 points to go along with 18 rebounds. Reed is young, athletic, and extremely hard working. His effort is comparable to that of Harrell’s and Beverley’s as well. Perhaps Reed’s best quality, however, is his drive. “Show Time” said that his goal next season is to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. It’s not hard to imagine him doing so.