DeAndre Jordan has the kind of size, athleticism, and skill set to make just about any GM become enamored with his potential, but like so many similar big men who have come before him, his drive to become great is in serious question. His physical skills are great, and it is evident how he can be molded into a top-five center; however, I?m not sure if he has the necessary instincts to become a great NBA player.
He fumbles or outright drops too many passes; unmistakably, his hands are average. Jordan also frequently has to take an unneeded gather dribble before he finishes. But once he does have the ball firmly in his hands, he is a great finisher, rising quickly with his strong vertical and long arms, attacking the rim.
Although he will never have great hands, they should naturally improve from their current state with more strength and confidence as they did throughout his freshman season. He was able to handle the bad passes with better efficiency in late February and March, an indicator of transparent development.
Jordan?s technique sealing defenders before getting the ball is advanced considering his age, making great use of his massive wingspan. He is already a sophisticated player in the post, and there is a pethora of promise remaining in the tank.
He has a nice up and under move that he likes to use and impressively invites and takes pleasure in contact, but he sometimes will commit an unexpected travel or take an awkward baby hook shot if he begins to feel overwhelmed by a good defender. Jordan also occasionally leaves the ball in a position that makes his shot susceptible to being blocked by inferior talent.
He is a horrible free throw shooter, but his form is far from awful. He should develop a nice 15-footer and be all-around effective in the mid-post and high-post. Jordan?s touch with his jumper and all around the hoop with both hands is quite nice.
He flashes to the ball from the low-post with purpose, and he immediately raises the ball high to look for an open teammate. He has a great eye for finding an open cutter, and when he finds a perimeter player, he cuts hard to the bucket looking for a return pass. Jordan commonly will make high caliber passes that makes people forget he is a 7-foot teenager.
It is for this reason he passes the important test I place on big men when I try to visualize how good a player they would be if they were four inches shorter.
For much of the early part of the season, Jordan was primarily a screener in Texas A&M?s halfcourt offense. He sometimes doesn?t get enough body on defenders when setting picks reducing the effectiveness.
Jordan will immediately be an elite center in terms of running the floor in transition. He seems to enjoy this aspect of basketball the most, likely from his high school days at Christian Life Center; he has good instincts on how to be the trailer and is even quick enough to lead the fastbreak and make a solid catch and finish with either hand in one fluid motion.
He is inconsistent on how quickly he finds a guard for an outlet pass on defensive rebounds, not seeming to read the floor in these situations quickly enough, which I think is more a matter of self-trust than anything else because he reads the floor without delay in the halfcourt.
He is, in fact, more raw defensively than he is on the offensive end of the floor. Jordan also doesn?t have as strong of a motor on the defensive end, but he should at least become a quality shotblocker/shot affecter at least by default and even more so because he?s left-handed. I saw him make some outstanding on-ball blocks, but I?d like to see him become more of an intimidating help presence. He clearly has the necessary physical tools; it will be merely a manner of effort and proper timing.
Jordan already does a nice job of fronting the post as well as finding the proper positioning when playing fundamental help defense. Unfortunately, he is incredibly foul prone, and it will be a problem that will worsen in the NBA and plague much of his career.
Blake Griffin and Demar DeRozan not withstanding, Jordan would probably have been the number one overall pick in 2009 had he returned to College Station for his sophomore season. I don?t believe we will see as big of a progression between the DeAndre Jordan we see on day one in the Vegas Summer League and the five-year veteran DeAndre Jordan. Even though he isn?t the sure thing of a Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, or even, at his position, Brook Lopez, the odds of Jordan being a solid NBA center are not too long, and he has good of a shot as anyone to eventually be considered that ?third player? from this draft.
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Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. He can be reached at Chris.Reina@RealGM.com where he may use your draft questions in a future mailbag edition