Dallas Mavericks: DeAndre Jordan vs. NBA starting centers

The last of the starter rankings at each position across the NBA are in and DeAndre Jordan finds himself ranked against the rest of the NBA centers. How did the Dallas Mavericks fare at this position?

In the final position rankings for the NBA, FanSided’s Hoops Habit ranked all of the starting centers around the league. For the Dallas Mavericks, that means newest addition from the offseason, DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan has been one of the top centers in the NBA for several years now, ever since his rise to relevance around 2010. The Los Angeles Clippers had quite the 1-2 punch down low between DJ and Blake Griffin, but as that relationship fizzled in the last couple seasons, it became clear that Jordan would be jumping ship once he got the chance.

Now, Jordan is with the Mavs where he will once again get plenty of lobs thrown his way and he will have a chance to bring down as many rebounds as his heart desires. Dallas is a great situation for the big man but he will need to prove that there is still more in the tank this year if he wants a contract extension.

If you would like to see the Hoops Habit center rankings, you can find them here.

As you can see, DeAndre Jordan was ranked 9th in the league amongst centers. My initial reaction to this ranking was that he is actually ranked a little lower than I expected but, he is still a premier center who shoots an incredible average and grabs more than his fair share of rebounds. His defensive game is still pretty solid and he will thrive in Rick Carlisle’s system.

For those reasons, I am on board with DJ being in the top 10. I do think that Marc Gasol, Andre Drummond, and Jusuf Nurkic all have a case for being ranked higher than Jordan, but I also think that each one of them are stuck in situations that aren’t exactly perfect for their style of play. DeAndre is now in a place where he can thrive and where his skillset is going to shine.

This season will be very telling for DeAndre Jordan going forward and for him defending him ranking. I do feel that Jordan is going to have a great season and maybe these rankings will prove that he is still the same center that was feared in LA.