DeAndre Jordan has stepped up big
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Jordan has been on and off of the Clippers’ trading block since the offseason. There is a fear that he will require a contract near Blake Griffin’s size in the offseason, accompanied by the worry that he just isn’t worth that kind of money. The problem with these negative thoughts is that there is only so much that a defensive center who scores almost exclusively off of dunks can do on the court, and he is doing all of it. Jordan’s numbers reflect his effort. 24 15+ rebound games including 10 20-rebound games as well as 12 20-point games. No one imagined that DJ could accomplish his scoring achievements this season without Chris Paul, but he is, and he has even done it without playmaking-specialist Milos Teodosic as well. Jordan is leading the league in rebounds (total and per game), and at this rate, he might just be worth a max contract from the Clippers in the offseason.
Sure, Wesley Johnson, Danilo Gallinari, and Patrick Beverley are still out and injured, but things are looking bright for the Clippers’ near future. We entertained the idea of tanking and possibly trading DeAndre Jordan because we were down in the dumps and desperate for something positive, but now that positive news is coming to LA, tanking should not be an option. Don’t give up on the team yet, this learning process of playing with several injuries just might pay off when the Clippers get some of their key pieces back.