LOS ANGELES – DeAndre Jordan joked that head coach Mike Krzyzewski told him if he didn’t do anything in the first 30 seconds Sunday night, he was getting pulled.
After getting the loudest pregame cheers and addressing the crowd at STAPLES Center, Jordan kept his home fans amped and made the most of those first 30 seconds, blocking China’s first shot attempt and finishing an emphatic alley-oop at the other end to start off a 106-57 exhibition game win.
“I tried to do something,” Jordan said of those first 30 seconds, earning his first start for Team USA. “Just being myself, try to limit those guys to one shot, make it tough; On the other end, just run, be myself and help us out any way I can.”
Those same ways he helps the Clippers are the way he helped out Team USA once again Sunday, posting 12 points with five rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists. He mostly played above the rim, bringing fans to their feet with forceful swats and towering dunks, including one on an inbounds pass from Kyle Lowry.
He also displayed his expanded offensive game with a left-handed baby hook in the lane and continued to set up shooters the way he’s used to in regular season games, only instead of giving J.J. Redick hand-offs and screens for open threes, he’s doing it for Klay Thompson.
Those are aspects of Jordan’s game Krzyzewski knew about before Jordan was selected to be an Olympian. But Krzyzewski wanted to know more about the center, and who better to ask about Jordan than his former Duke player, Redick.
“J.J. said he’s as good a teammate as he’s ever had and one of the best guys,” Krzyzewski said, “and he wasn’t wrong.”
But it goes beyond that. What Jordan’s provided has surpassed anything Coach K anticipated.
“As much as I’ve seen him on TV, I’ve never seen him in person,” Krzyzewski said. “As good as I thought he was on TV and on tape, he’s better. He’s really one of the great players in the league right now, and an amazing teammate. He does dirty work willingly, but he does it at the highest level. I think he’s a special player. “
That’s something Jordan’s Clippers teammates have known for years, and to get to show it on the national stage the Olympics provide is an honor Jordan’s not taking for granted.
“I’ve dreamt about this since I was a kid watching the Dream Team,” Jordan said.
And he’s taking advantage, something he hopes to continue to do as Team USA and China play again Tuesday at Oracle Arena before Team USA heads to Chicago to continue training.
“A lot of the guys on the team have a lot to prove,” Jordan said. “It’s bigger than the Clippers. It’s bigger than Duke. It’s bigger than everything.”