DeAndre Jordan's baseline responsibilities are simple enough to print on a shampoo bottle: Set screens, block shots, dunk. Lather, rinse, repeat.
But ever since Jordan was turned loose as the Los Angeles Clippers' full-time center three seasons ago, nobody in the NBA except LeBron James has been more consistent from game to game and year to year. He is the most efficient roll man (minimum 50 possessions) in the league, according to Synergy Sports, averaging 1.52 points per possession whenever he gets the ball on a screen-and-dash toward the rim. Jordan rips through the sound barrier when he bends his knees and there's almost no pass he can't corral with either hand.
Watching Jordan play basketball at this stage of his career is a lot like sitting through a Seinfeld marathon for the 27th straight hour; you know what will happen but you can still marvel at the dependability of it all.
Maybe as a result, he's arguably the most overlooked force of his generation, the one player who, more than anyone else, will likely be appreciated even more after he retires. His résumé is quietly exceptional. This is his fifth year in a row leading the league in field goal percentage; since 2014, he has grabbed 4,168 rebounds, which is more than anyone else in the NBA. (The only other player to crack 3,000 is Andre Drummond, who has 4,146.)
And yet, it took Jordan nine seasons to make his first All-Star team, one year afterhe became a first-team All-NBA center, and it was mainly because Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were too hurt to play this year. It's an accomplishment he's thankful to finally have achieved, but it's also one he didn't feel he needed.
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