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Los Angeles Lakers roster: Examining the center rotation

By Addam Goldman

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers fouls LaMarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers fouls LaMarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan’s plunge from one of the best defensive players in the league to a walking catastrophe has been baffling.

In 2015, at age 26, DeAndre Jordan beat out Anthony Davis and Tony Allen to win Best Defender at the NBA Players Awards. This honor is more important than the actual Defensive Player of the Year award because he was chosen by his colleagues; you know the men who actually play on the basketball court against each other and genuinely understand what’s what.

That year Jordan defended 15 field goal attempts per game (2nd in the NBA), only allowing opposing players to connect on 47 percent of their shot attempts. Nearly all of Jordan’s defensive field goal attempts were at the rim, showing he was a true game-changer for the Clippers, altering numerous layup attempts every time he stepped on the court. Oh, and he also led the league in rebounding at a whopping 15 per game.

The following year, it was more of the same. Jordan hounded the opposition at the rim, snagged 14 rebounds per game, and was finally recognized for his efforts by the media, finishing fourth in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

Fast forward three seasons to 2018, and Jordan suddenly began playing like a 47-year-old overweight, high school math teacher. In 2018, DeAndre, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and rumor has it, was so incredibly awful on defense he single-handedly made Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle lose the remainder of his hair.

His defense was so cringe-worthy and non-existent, Dallas management jettisoned him to New York halfway through the season and laughed it up as he continued to stand in the lane, clueless, as opposing players jogged toward the rim and scored at will.

How did DeAndre Jordan get so bad so fast? Most national media members blamed it on a “decrease in athleticism,” but that makes little sense. He was 30-years-old, smack in the middle of his prime, when he went to Dallas and struggled immensely. He never suffered an athleticism-reducing injury, and he didn’t magically morph into an old man. He was 30!

30!!!!!!

Perhaps he had a personal catastrophe we weren’t aware of. Professional basketball players aren’t robots. They can suffer mental blows that hinder their performance at work, just like the rest of us.

Maybe Jordan needed Chris Paul, constantly in his ear, pestering him, telling him to get off the sofa and run a few miles. His play suffered once he was no longer partnered with CP3.

Maybe he looked at his bank account, decided he had enough money, and didn’t feel like going through the rigors of staying in NBA-level shape.

We’ll never know what happened to DeAndre Jordan, but here’s what we do know:

DeAndre Jordan just finished another awful year of basketball. He began the season as Brooklyn’s starting center and ended things glued to the bench. Things were so bad that the Nets head coach, Steve Nash, didn’t trust him to play a single minute of playoff basketball.

He was one of the few Brooklyn players to finish the season with a negative +/- rating despite playing next to three future Hall-of-Famers in Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. And he finished the season with the worst defensive rating on Brooklyn’s roster (114.8).

DeAndre Jordan could very well start next season for the Lakers, filling the 12 minutes per game JaVale McGee/Marc Gasol role for Frank Vogel we’ve seen over the last couple of seasons. If the coaching staff decides to start Jordan, we can’t expect much from him. He played slow and clueless next to Kevin Durant, and in the Lakers’ first preseason game, it was more of the same.

DeAndre Jordan somehow played like a rookie and a 50-year-old man at the same time. He was either lost in the middle of the court, eyes glazed open, or getting beaten from every level of the floor throughout his 17 minutes of game time. Brooklyn players shot over 70 percent against Jordan within five feet of the basket, and they also shot 45 percent against him from beyond the arc.

I’m not an emotional guy, and I rarely get worked up during games. But, DeAndre Jordan was so infuriating—especially during the first quarter when the Brooklyn Nets hunted him on switches nearly every play and scored on him at will—that I found myself mumbling to Frank Vogel about how he better not start Jordan.

Lakers fans will have to hope Anthony Davis is faithful to his word and plays heavy center minutes (i.e., he starts at center). Thus ensuring DeAndre Jordan is a low-cost insurance policy against a Dwight Howard injury.

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