Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Jordan is the first player to see a significant role change for the team this season. He went from starting center to a reserve role when the team finally decided to move Anthony Davis to the five against certain teams.
The move serves as a beneficial one to the Lakers, as the original starting lineup of Jordan, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kent Bazemore has the worst net rating of any five-man combination that has played greater than 10 minutes together for L.A.
Luckily, Jordan seemed fully prepared that this change would eventually happen, as he has kept his same mindset about doing what’s best for the team.
“I don’t think it can,” Jordan said of his mindset changing. “I think my job is the same whether I’m coming off the bench whether I’m starting. My job for this team is to be able to defend as best as I can and run the floor, change and alter shots, be a defensive anchor for us and get our playmakers open. And be a great veteran and a piece for this team to be able to compete.”
Jordan also spoke about the team’s lackluster defense to start the season and what he, Dwight Howard and Davis could do as the team’s three centers. “I don’t think it’s necessarily just, you know, one thing. But I do believe that we’re making strides. I think that we have seen great periods of defense for us in spurts. We put it together enough to win games, but we still have a long way to go. We still can get a lot better.
“I think that one is containing the ball, us communicating with each other and being on the string. And it’s not an excuse because no team in the league has a lot of practice time to learn these things. So we’re kind of learning them and learning each other in the games and at film sessions. So once we get more minutes with each other, I think you’ll see some progression there.”
If the Lakers plan to continue starting Davis at the center position, Jordan’s role will be severely limited, as Howard is still deserving of his minutes off the bench.
Of course, this may be a game-by-game decision by Frank Vogel, so all three players must be adaptable on a nightly basis.
Davis questionable against Trail Blazers with thumb injury
Davis suffered a minor thumb injury towards the end of the first half in yet another embarrassing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he played in the rest of the game and said he would be fine moving forward, even if his status is unclear for Saturday.
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