How Can the Clippers Make DeAndre Jordan a Better Defender?

There are lots of misconceptions about basketball and the way it's played, and most of those misconceptions seem to center around what "good" defense really is. Rather than really diving into the true effectiveness of a player on that end, it seems as though the Defensive Player of the Year is often just handed out to the guy that blocks the most shots, gets a bunch of steals or grabs a lot of rebounds.

Last season, DeAndre Jordan improved in several statistical areas across-the-board. Most notable was his rebounding, which jumped from 7.2 per game in 2012-13 all the way up to 13.6 last season. Jordan led the league in rebounding, and is currently leading the league again with an average of 11.9 a game. Though his rebounding has been down on average to start this season (his 12 rebounds per 36 minutes ranks him 15th in the league among qualified players; he finished averaging 14 rebounds per 36 last year), he's looked better in the last few games and should finish among the league leaders this season, as well.

Jordan's shot-blocking also took an uptick in 2013-14 to 2.5 per game after he swatted away an average of 1.4 shots the previous season. Through eight games this year, he's blocking an average of 2.8 per game.

So, since he's one of the best rebounders and shot-blockers in the league, he's gotta be an elite defensive center, right? He did finish third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last year, though well behind the winner, Joakim Noah. Noah and Roy Hibbert (who finished 2nd) are notorious for being elite defenders, but is Jordan even in the same ballpark in terms of quality?

There's more to being a "rim protector" than just shot-blocking. As we've seen with undersized teams like the Miami Heat in the past, you can defend the rim effectively without having one of the league's premier swatters. In fact, there really isn't much correlation between shot-blocking and winning, at all. Recent champions like the Spurs and Heat have ranked between the middle and bottom of the league in that category. Defensive positioning and shot-altering don't get the same recognition as shot-blocking, but are probably equal in importance.

Since Jordan spends most of his time on defense in the paint or around the basket, we can look to his numbers within 10 feet of the rim as those with the most relevance. On shots five feet or fewer from the bucket (per NBA.com's SportVU playe tracking), Jordan's opponents shot 59.5% from the floor last season. League average on these shots was nearly 60%, so D.J. was very slightly above average there. To compare, Hibbert allowed a super stingy field goal percentage of 49.5% on these shots, while Noah checked-in at 55.6%. From 5-9 feet, Jordan opponents hit on 37.7% of their looks, while Hibbert allowed 34.7% and Noah 34%.

While DJ's numbers aren't bad at all, he still isn't quite on the level of the truly elite at his position. But he's far from a finished product.

One of the primary differences you'll notice between Jordan and some of the other defensive-minded bigs in the league is their positioning around the basket. Both Hibbert and Noah are quick with rotations and are smart about when to jump. Jordan is younger than both of them, and is still clearly learning the finer points of these parts of the game. Jordan, especially early on this season, has a weird habit of either jumping too much or not jumping at all on defense. Not jumping at all isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're able to put your arms straight up and use your length to try and cut-off a path to the rim.

Jordan is without question more athletic than both Hibbert and Noah, and that has to play into his mindset as he jumps around, chasing blocks. Hibbert, in particular, is notoriously exceptional for his positioning and "verticality". With his lack of vertical explosiveness, Hibbert can avoid fouling more effectively by just standing at the rim (or jumping slightly) with his arms extended upward. Jordan hardly does this, if ever. Considering Jordan is as long as anyone in the league, you'd think he would be able to disrupt plenty of attempts by just standing there with his arms extended. Here's an example of Hibbert's verticality, via SB Nation.

Noah's defensive effectiveness isn't as predicated on protecting the rim has Hibbert's is, but rather using his length and quickness to disrupt opponents. Noah has excellent anticipatory skills and the lateral quickness to rotate very well, and his long arms are hellacious in cutting-off passing lanes. Jordan is both super quick and super long, but his rotations have a tendency to be rather late, and he's susceptible to going for pump fakes too easily.

When defending the pick-and-roll, Jordan's shortcomings aren't really all his fault. Part of the Clips' defensive philosophy includes their big men hedging hard on PnR ball-handlers, which often leaves Jordan out-of-position if the offensive team is quick enough with its decision-making. This is from last year, via Grantland.

Jordan starts out high, trying to block the path of Kevin Durant coming off a Steven Adams screen. Jordan incorrectly anticipates that Durant will use the screen and head to his left, which leaves the paint wide open for KD once decides against taking Adams' help. The rest of the Clippers don't help out a whole lot here, either. Blake Griffin's attempt at stopping Durant by breathing on him clearly didn't work.

Below (also via SB Nation), notice the way Joakim Noah defends this pick-and-roll vs. Dallas last year. The first thing you'll note is that Noah lays back rather than aggressively hedging, which is a defensive strategy Tom Thibodeau employs in Chicago. He cuts off the angle to the basket for Monta Ellis, forcing a jump-pass to the screener, Brandan Wright. Noah is quick enough to get back to Wright, his initial mark, and contests the attempt, forcing a miss.

I tend to think a more effective way to utilize a shot-blocking/altering presence like Jordan is to play it the way the Bulls do and have him sit back on PnRs rather than come all the way up and defend the ball-handler at the point of the screen. That way, he won't be caught out-of-position the way he was in the above Durant play, and should remain in good enough position to be able to head-off both the screener and the ball-handler. DeAndre is obviously athletic enough to move the way Noah does, it's just a matter of discipline and being aware of the tendencies of the opponent.

Thibodeau was the lead assistant on Doc Rivers' staff when the Celtics won the title in 2008, and that team did the same thing the current Bulls team does with its big men in defending the pick-and-roll. Having Jordan (and Blake Griffin) hedge hard on PnRs means the Clippers have to rely on the other players to rotate properly into the lane and cut-off the drive. Even if the other Clips rotate properly and seal the paint, that is still likely to leave shooters open on the perimeter. Not coincidentally, L.A., once again, is one of the league's worst teams in defending the three-point line.

Leaving Jordan and Griffin closer to the basket on defense would also likely help alleviate the Clippers' massive rebounding woes that have haunted them over the past couple of seasons. Considering they're the two best rebounders on the team, leaving them around the basket to nab potential rebounds would seem to be a decent idea.

DeAndre Jordan has every necessary tool to become one of the most effective defensive centers in the league, and he can get there if he's able to refine some of the rough edges. Rivers and his staff have already done a wonderful job in helping him realize his potential as a rebounder, and a few adjustments here-and-there can help him take the next step as a defender, as well.