When the Philadelphia 76ers completed the blockbuster NBA trade with Brooklyn Nets, they surrendered a lot of depth in the deal. While Ben Simmons wasn’t with the team, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond were key contributors to their rotation.
Without Drummond, Philadelphia has a big hole to fill in their frontcourt.
Paul Millsap, who was acquired with James Harden, has played some minutes at the five spot to replace Drummond, but the team was still on the lookout for a backup center.
They found a player that fit the bill on the buyout market. When the Los Angeles Lakers reached a buyout with DeAndre Jordan, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly emerged as the favorite landing spot for him and he joined the team after he cleared waivers.
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During a recent press conference, Jordan discussed departing from the struggling Los Angeles Lakers to join the surging 76ers following his buyout.
“I enjoyed my time there, for sure,” Jordan said. “Obviously, this is an opportunity where I’m familiar with Doc (Rivers) so this is a chance to come here and play a little more and have a chance to go further in the postseason. I do think those guys (the Lakers) are going to have some success late,” Jordan added. “But this was just the best opportunity, I feel like for me.”
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DeAndre Jordan’s familiarity with head coach Doc Rivers, as the two were with the LA Clippers, is a big reason that he has ended up in Philadelphia. He will bring a veteran presence to the bench as an emergency option, but if the Philadelphia 76ers are going to rely on Jordan for rotation minutes, they are in for a rude awakening.
Jordan hasn’t been a serviceable player for a few seasons. He was removed from the Nets’ rotation at the end of the 2020-21 season for ineffective play. The Los Angeles Lakers quickly realized the same thing after he was the starting center at the beginning of the season.
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In his first game with the team, DeAndre Jordan played 10 minutes, but that game came without Millsap being in the lineup. It will be interesting to see how Rivers divides the minutes when both of his veteran frontcourt players are available to play.
