One of the veteran leaders from the Nuggets' championship locker room, DeAndre Jordan, has agreed to re-sign with Denver on a one-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed per team policy.
He originally joined the Nuggets as a free agent in the summer of 2022. Jordan played 39 games in the 2022-23 regular season and averaged 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
'DJ' is years removed from his heyday as an alley-oop-slamming star with the 'Lob City' LA Clippers, but he's still an effective play-finisher that shot a remarkable 76.5 percent from the field in 2022-23. Synergy Statistics graded Jordan as a very impressive 95th-percentile roll man because of his ability to set strong screens and rise up high for passes at the rim.
Jordan remains an excellent rebounder at his position. He grabbed 24.1 percent of opponents' misses, good for the 89th percentile in defensive rebounding. His 9.7 percent offensive rebounding percentage ranked within the 65th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass.
Opponents shot 2 percent worse at the basket than their normal averages when Jordan was on the floor in 2022-23. He remains a reliable shot-blocker at 34 years old.
That's without mentioning his value off the court. Jordan was one of Denver's primary veteran leaders in the locker room. Head coach Michael Malone effusively praised Jordan for the example he set for Denver's younger players. That skillset could prove to be even more invaluable for a Nuggets team that projects to be younger this season, particularly off the bench.
“The impact he's had on our team has been tangible. It's real. His positivity, his leadership. It's never been about DeAndre, and that's not always the case for a 15-year vet. He could easily have said, ‘Man, I'm out of the rotation, screw these guys.’ He's bought in,” said Malone in April. “I'm just really thankful that he's here because he's been very impactful for me as a head coach to have a guy like that.”
Jordan's teammates praised his leadership, as well. His ability to blend an appropriate amount of humor with 15 seasons of NBA wisdom was instrumental in bringing home the first NBA championship to Denver.
“DJ’s just the ultimate vet,” said former teammate Bruce Brown. “I had him in Brooklyn. I had him and Jeff (Green) in Brooklyn. I used to go to those guys a lot because it was just a lot going on on the court, and people getting on me. They just know how to calm you down and get your mind right. They just great guys on and off the court. You can always be around them. They joke, laugh. But when they need to be serious, they'll be serious. So, I mean, they just been great for this team for us.”
The Nuggets will need Jordan's ability to keep a locker room together when they look to repeat as champions. And if they need him to play in a pinch, he can still contribute as a pick-and-roll lob threat and rim protector.
