Rowan Kavner
This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those who follow the Clippers’ organization closely. The next edition features center DeAndre Jordan.
HOUSTON – It’s impossible to talk about the 2014-15 Clippers without mentioning DeAndre Jordan, particularly considering what the Clippers’ big man has accomplished since Blake Griffin went down.
Jordan’s in the midst of a streak of five straight games with at least 15 rebounds, which is a career-high for him and the longest stretch for any player this season. Since Griffin went down, Jordan’s averaged 18.4 points and 19.4 rebounds per game in his last six games. He’s had three 20-20 games this month and scored a career-high 26 points three games ago.
He’s shooting 72 percent from the floor this season, which leads the NBA, and is grabbing 13.9 rebounds per game, which also leads the NBA.
The only struggle has been at the charity stripe, and Jordan talked this week about his free throws, his play since Griffin had surgery and a variety of topics this week:
What’s changed for you since Griffin went out?
DJ: “I think I still do the same thing. Maybe a lot of the easy looks that Blake would get, guys are finding me on – that’s about it. But I’m not stepping out, trying to score as many points as I have the past couple games. I’m just in the right space and the spots I’m usually in when Blake’s playing.”
Do you have to be more cognizant of staying out of foul trouble, especially with Griffin unavailable?
DJ: “Absolutely, especially when we’re down an All-Star. It’s tough. Some things I’m not going to say I need to let go, but I’ve just got to be smart with – time situation, foul trouble, things like that. I’ve got to do a better job.”
Have you tried to switch the way you shoot free throws at all?
DJ: “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it all from everybody. My grandma tells me, ‘Do you focus when you’re up there?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think about shooting a free throw.’ I don’t miss them on purpose. I promise, I’m not betting on the games. I practice, but I mean, I think it’s more of a mental thing. It’s something that’s not going to go away, so I’ll just shoot it.”
You seem to do pretty well with them in practice.
DJ: “I’m not lying when I tell you guys when I’m in practice, I make them. There’s not 20,000 people. I think it’s all mental, but when you get as many reps up and it starts to become muscle memory, then it’s OK. It’s not something that you think about as much. When I’m in practice, I knock them down. I’d like you guys to show footage of me making the free throws when I’m talking about this right now.”
Are you on the side that believes the hacking strategy should go away?
DJ: “I agree with that now because I’m missing them, but once I start making them, I’ll say it’s cool.
“It’s a strategy now to take certain people out of the game, to slow a team down. It’s a good strategy…But in the games that they’ve done it, we’ve won. So it’s cool.”
