As the NBA moves toward its opening night on Dec. 22, there’s been plenty of focus on the quick turnaround for teams whose season extended deep into the playoffs, with the Finals of the suspended and extended 2019-20 season running into mid-October.
For others, like Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan, it has been a long layoff indeed. Jordan’s last game was back on March 10, and the time in between was filled with uncertainty, first about whether and when the NBA would restart the 2019-20 season, and then about when the 2020-21 season would launch.
“For me, it was just the same way I approach the offseason,” said Jordan. “Mine was a lot longer than other peoples. So, at the beginning, it was a little weird, especially at the height of the virus, being able to work out in safe places other than your home. But I think I stuck with the same workout or routine and regimen that I always do. But like I said, since my offseason was a little longer than other guys, I didn’t want to peak too early in the offseason and burn myself out. I also didn’t want to play catch-up when it was time.
“So, I feel like myself and my staff that I had around me, we did a pretty good job of spacing everything out, I had ramp-up days and moderate days to where I give my body rest for a certain amount of time. It’s definitely been successful for me.”
A positive COVID test kept Jordan out of the final stretch of the season when the NBA returned over the summer. He hoped to eventually join the Nets in Orlando, but was unable to clear the protocols in time to make a return sensible.
So for the 32-year-old entering his 13th NBA season, was the extended break a plus or a minus?
“I think it was a little bit of both,” said Jordan. “I don’t want to say ‘detriment,’ but I do think that it was tough because we didn’t know when the season was going to start again. We didn’t know when we were going to be able to do stuff. So, it was kind of like…you were just trying to figure it out on the fly, which was very frustrating. But as a professional athlete, you have to be able to adjust and be able to respond in different situations. So, I owe a lot of credit to the people that I had around me during my workouts, and now being able to get back in the gym, I know that I was doing the right thing.”
A three-time All-NBA selection, Jordan is third among all active players in blocks and rebounds. He’s also the league’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (66.9), and he had Brooklyn’s highest rate last season (66.6), though he didn’t qualify to be among the league leaders. Jordan averaged 10.0 rebounds per game and his 20.2 rebound percentage was fourth in the league. He also posted 3.1 assists per 36 minutes in 2019-20, a career-high rate.
While Jordan came to Brooklyn along with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in the transformative summer of 2019, Durant was out for all of last season and Irving was limited to 20 games. Now, the trio that made its plans to unite in Brooklyn together, is close to taking the court together.
Jordan, who played 10 seasons for the LA Clippers, makes his home in Los Angeles, so he’s had plenty of looks at Durant and Irving as they worked out and took the court for pick-up games in LA over the last few months.
“I think they looked like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving,” said Jordan. “I think they looked exactly like themselves. There’s no favoring or tiptoeing around things. Those guys are both going really hard, and it’s good to see. It’s good to see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back on the court. I will say that. And to your second question, I don’t think we’re going to put any pressure on ourselves. There’s already going to be enough outside noise as it is, so, there’s no need for us to add more pressure. Hopefully, 30 teams in the league go into the season hoping to win a championship.
“So, we’re not the only team thinking that. We know what our goals are, and we know we have guys who have made it to that goal and reached that pinnacle, so, we know what it’s going to take. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a process with new coaching staff, new players, guys coming back from injuries. It’s going to be a process. But it’s something that we’re looking forward to and it’s going to be ups and downs, but if we keep going and keep learning every day, we should be fine.”
Aside from getting Irving and Durant back, Brooklyn’s most prominent addition is new head coach Steve Nash. The final six seasons of the Hall of Fame point guard’s career crossed over with the start of Jordan’s, and in Nash’s final two seasons he was in Los Angeles as well, playing for the Lakers.
“Steve was great. Played against Steve for I don’t know how many years,” said Jordan. “Obviously when he was in Phoenix, and then with the Lakers. It kind of makes me feel a little old, but let’s just say that Steve’s young. But it’s great to have a great basketball mind like that now being at the helm along with other great coaches, former head coaches that we have along with (Jacque Vaughn) and Adam (Harrington) and Tiago (Splitter) from last year. I’m excited just to be able to put all those things together and get back on the court with everybody.”