DeAndre Jordan Proving Los Angeles Clippers Do in Fact Have a Big 3

LOS ANGELES — Flash back to Sept. 29, 2014.

It's media day for the Los Angeles Clippers. Folks show up in droves—maybe not as many as a typical Lakers media day, but in much larger numbers than you'd have seen for the Clippers in years past—to see and hear what the team has to say about what looks to be the most promising season in franchise history.

Out on the stage, in front of the seated media throngs, come the Clippers' stars, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The first two tackle the vast majority of queries, but the message is unmistakable: We have a Big Three, too, you know.

"I've said that for a year-and-a-half now," head coach Doc Rivers said prior to the Clippers' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Indeed, that much has been loud and clear to the Clippers and their faithful for quite some time, well before they shared a podium this past fall. Since then, Jordan has done his part to hammer that point home—and then some.

Jordan's value to the Clippers has been brought into sharper relief since Blake Griffin, his close friend and frontcourt partner, was sidelined by a staph infection in his elbow partway through the team's annual Grammys road trip in early February.

"We never want anyone to miss any time with injury, especially one of our top guys in Blake," Jordan explained. "When you are missing someone so important to both ends of the court, everyone has to step up, and I take that personally to step up in his absence. I just go out and try to do my best, game in and game out."

So far, Jordan's best efforts have been nothing short of extraordinary, if not outright career-redefining. In 11 games without Griffin, Jordan has averaged 14.9 points, 19.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks in just over 38 minutes. That includes a 10-game streak of grabbing at least 15 boards—the longest in the league this season and the longest in Clippers history.

Among those standout showings:

• A 22-point, 27-rebound rampage during a win over the Mavericks in Dallas.
• Another 20-20 outing two nights later to ground the Houston Rockets at home.
• A sturdy double-double (11 points, 15 boards) in just 20 minutes of work in a blowout of the Sacramento Kings.
• Fifteen points, 22 boards and five combined blocks and steals against the Grizzlies' All-Star front line to key an impressive win in Memphis.
• Twenty-six more rebounds while hounded by Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol in Chicago.

"He's been unreal all year, honestly," said Jamal Crawford. "I think more people noticed it now because obviously those numbers are monstrous, but the fact that Blake's out, people notice a little bit more. DJ's been the one constant all year for us."

Jordan isn't doing anything differently himself, at least as far as the mechanics of the game are concerned. He's still screening and rolling, dunking with authority, cleaning the glass and wiping away shot attempts on the inside. What's changed, however, is with Griffin out, Jordan's teammates are looking for him.

"We really have not changed one thing, honestly," head coach Doc Rivers explained prior to a recent practice. "DJ is ducking in, he's deep, and to me, we're actually looking at him. He's standing right under the darn basket, you know. We've always done that, everywhere...I always think if you're seven feet tall and you're under the basket, the ball should find you. I think our guys, we're just doing a better job of seeing him."

Added Jordan, "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."

Just as Griffin's game has proved more efficient when Jordan is not clogging up the middle, so too has Jordan seen a significant uptick in his own production when he's the best big out there for L.A.:

	Pts	FGA	FG%	FTA	Rebs
w/ Griffin	10.9	6.2	74.4	4.1	14.4
w/o Griffin	14.9	8.9	65	7.7	16.6

"There's a lot more space for him to roll right now," said Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger.

Jordan, as one of the 10 most efficient roll men in the league, per NBA.com, knows how to use that space to his advantage.

If only he were anywhere near as reliable at the free-throw line. Jordan is currently the all-time leader in career field-goal percentage (.662) but is also second-to-last in league history from the stripe (.421), according to Reddit (minimum 1,000 attempts for each). The latter of those has made Jordan a frequent target for intentional fouling or "hacking," much to the dismay of those who enjoy watching L.A. play.

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All told, the Clippers aren't better off when Jordan and Griffin are separated. According to NBA.com, the Clippers are 12.8 points better per 100 possessions than the opposition when Griffin and Jordan are together, as opposed to 1.4 points/100 better when Jordan is on his own—an 11.4-point swing.

And, well, Jordan gets plenty out of the partnership, too. Prior to Griffin's elbow operation, L.A.'s two All-Stars had assisted on 58 of Jordan's makes apiece, per NBA.com.

The pairing of Griffin and Jordan may not be perfect, but as Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney wrote, it's plenty effective for the Clippers:

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There's no question that the interior focus of both Griffin and Jordan can be inconvenient at times for the Clippers, but the chemistry between the two is undeniable. That kind of connection gives them a gravity in their own way; when Griffin has the ball in his hands, help becomes far more difficult and Jordan must be treated as an active threat.

"

The hope for the Clippers, then, isn't so much that Jordan will keep shining once Griffin gets back, as it is that they'll continue to look for Jordan, even when Griffin is out there.

"That's where there's always a blessing in disguise," Rivers said. "Sometimes, you know, you don't want Blake out ever, but at least when he comes back, when DJ ducks in, they'll still look for DJ, and I think that part may be good."

To be sure, Jordan's excellence is much more than the byproduct of Griffin's absence. He was leading the league in rebounds and field-goal percentage well before Griffin's hiatus. In fact, Jordan is on track to become the first player to pace his peers in those categories in consecutive seasons since Wilt Chamberlain pulled off that particular double at the end of his career.

"Just to be in the same sentence as guys like that is definitely humbling and something that's cool," Jordan said. "At the end of the day, it's about us getting wins."

The Clippers have racked up plenty of those—40 in total, seven in 11 tries sans Griffin—thanks in large part to Jordan's efforts. No matter his scoring exploits or frontcourt support, Jordan will likely always butter his bread with rebounding, shot blocking and generally disrupting and intimidating those who dare tread through his territory.

Unfortunately for Jordan, the Clippers' middling defense—L.A. currently ranks 16th in defensive efficiency, per NBA.com—seems to have detracted from his standing somewhat. The thinking goes, if Jordan is the Clippers' defensive anchor, and that defense has slipped from a top-10 outfit last season to a so-so one this time around, then Jordan must bear some outsized responsibility for that.

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Of course, there's much more to NBA defense than one guy swallowing up drives and swatting shots into the stands. In Jordan's case, he's been tasked with cleaning up the myriad mistakes his teammates have made when trying (and often failing) to shut off drives from the perimeter into the paint.

Jordan has had the physical tools to do what he's doing since he first left Texas A&M to turn pro in 2008. As far as anyone can tell, he hasn't grown any taller or pushed his impressive vertical leap any higher in the last seven years. Spencer Hawes, Jordan's temporary complement up front, called him "probably pound-for-pound the best athlete we have"—and remember, the Clippers normally have this guy leaping tall defenders in a single bound:

Then again, Jordan's in-game facials, like the one logged at Marc Gasol's expense in L.A., are pretty impressive, too:

Jordan's use of his natural talents (i.e., his size, strength and athleticism) has improved considerably over the years, as his understanding of the NBA game has grown and his role on the Clippers has shifted.

The same could be said of another of Jordan's prodigious gifts—the gift of gab. He's never had trouble striking up friendships with his peers, and he has grown into a more vocal leader on a squad wherein a number of the principals, Griffin included, prefer to let their games speak for them.

"I've got to have a little bit more of a voice, especially when I'm out there with guys like Austin [Rivers] and Jamal, who aren't really as vocal but let their play do the talking," Jordan said. "I've got to be the one who talks a little bit more."

"I think as a 7-footer, you always like playing with another one alongside you, kind of a wingman," Hawes went on.

In reality, Jordan is everyone's wingman. He sets screens, catches lobs and covers for his teammates when their guys get into the lane, in addition to supplying geniality and vocal leadership on and off the court.

He's more than just one member of L.A.'s tripod; he's the leg that props up the whole operation, even if it sometimes seems as though the other two are doing all the work.

Jordan doesn't need any accolades to prove it. Those would be nice, but a spot at the podium, next to Paul and Griffin, should suffice.

"It is a team game," Jordan said. "Doc has given me a lot more confidence, and I feel I am a leader on this team. What matters to me is wins and us coming together as a team. We [Paul, Griffin and Jordan) have been together for four years now, so we have gained a great chemistry together."

Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

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