Rivers: Jordan sees himself as a star following Olympics
A gold medal isn't the only thing Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan left Rio de Janeiro with following his stint with the U.S. men's national team in Brazil.
Playing alongside some of the biggest stars in the NBA and capturing the ultimate prize on the Olympic level has invigorated the 28-year-old big man, providing him with a sense of confidence in his ability that he perhaps didn't have before.
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"He sees himself now as a star," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn on Saturday. "As good as he is, I don't think he's ever seen himself as one. He's always been the third guy so he's looked at himself as a role player in some ways. Now he knows how good he is and I think any time you're around winning, it's important, and I think DJ now knows what winning looks like."
For a majority of his ongoing eight-year run with the franchise, Jordan has been widely perceived as being third in the pecking order behind Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, both of whom have made multiple All-Star appearances in Clipper colors. With his primary strengths as a basketball player being his defense and rebounding, his skills compliment the scoring and ball-handling prowess of his two teammates, who the offense tends to run through most of the time.
Moving his way into the starting lineup for the Olympic squad over DeMarcus Cousins, Jordan established himself on the defensive end as a force to be reckoned with just like he is for Los Angeles, averaging 1.1 blocks per game and ranking sixth overall in the tournament.
"Actually the international game is more physical at times; I knew he’d be dominant defensively, and I knew he would fit that team," Rivers said. "That team had a lot of guys that wanted to shoot, so you put the one guy that doesn’t really want to shoot with the four shooters. I think the change that (Mike Krzyzewski) made starting him was a big change."
Jordan led the league last season in field-goal percentage (70.3 percent), finished second in rebounding (13.8), and second in rejections (2.3) in 77 appearances for the 53-29 Clippers.