Very nice remains of DeAndre Jordan

At the age of 37, DeAndre Jordan he’s playing his 18th NBA season, and with the Pelicans he’s basically playing babysitter. So much so that his last match dates back to… October 29! But this night, in the moment challenge the SixersJames Borrego decided to integrate him into his starting five to back up rookie Derrick Quinn.

Upon his arrival, the Pelicans defeated the Sixers, and the former Clipper played a full game with 6 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks in 32 minutes.

“DeAndre deserves a lot of credit, first and foremost. Even more than the numbers, the stats or the defense, it’s his leadership, his impact on our entire program. He really deserves this moment.” his coach said at the press conference. “Obviously, his defensive performance tonight was huge. To be a good defensive team in this league, you need physicality, rim protection, rebounding, presence in the paint — and he brought it all. He was phenomenal defensively, even on shots he didn’t block: opponents hesitated to attack. But other than that, he’s the man himself, in that way we’re the proudest, professional leader of our team. He’ll never talk about anything but about our locker room.”

Gaming is a “gift”

And how was the discussion with “DJ” to tell him that he will make his debut even though he hasn’t played since October? “I thought about it last night. After yesterday’s match, my instinct told me to make this change” answers Borrego. “I fell asleep with this idea. When he got to the gym, we had a quick one-on-one and made a choice. I’ve seen him play in small games to stay ready, I know the impact he can have. He was ready.”

Celebrated by his teammates at the end of the match, Jordan is enjoying the moment and considers each match a “gift”. “We play a lot between us, guys out of the rotation or with a few minutes. Five-on-five before scrimmage, before or after practice, to maintain rhythm, physical condition and competitive aspect” confides about his state of form. “We have a lot of young players who learn quickly. Yves and Carlo are in their second year. We have to give them some space. We are building something and that excites me.”