Should the Atlanta Hawks make a play to get DeAndre Jordan
The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving DeAndre Jordan according to Woj of ESPN. He has also reported that the Philadelphia 76ers are keen to pursue the veteran who is in his 14th season in the NBA. So, the question is, should the Atlanta Hawks pursue Jordan or let him pass to another team.
During his time in the league, Jordan has been a rebounding champion twice as well as leading the league in field goal percentage five times in a row. That is pretty easy to do when you are in lob city and Chris Paul is passing the ball to you.
This is one potential benefit to the Hawks pursuing Jordan. Trae Young has proved how good he is at passing into the player in the restricted area with John Collins, Clint Capela, and Onyeka Okongwu all benefitting from his passing.
Why the Atlanta Hawks should not pursue DeAndre Jordan
The first reason for not pursuing Jordan is in the paragraph above. They have such a successful center pairing in Capela and Okongwu who already shoot at a high percentage and rebound at a high level. To add Jordan to this mix would be adding more of the same.
Secondly, the Hawks are seeing Okongwu developing so quickly. He is even keeping Capela on the bench towards the end of games because he is so important to the team at both ends of the court. Adding a veteran like Jordan at this time of the year would suggest that they would play him and this will not be good for Okongwu’s development.
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Lastly, there is Jodan’s age. While he is only 33, his numbers have dropped off considerably over the past few seasons. The Hawks need a player who is going to contribute now, not a player who is past his prime. We all remember what Okongwu did to an aging Dwight Howard against the 76ers in last season’s Eastern Conference semi-finals.