LOS ANGELES >> In one of his first public acts as head coach of the L.A. Clippers, Doc Rivers declared DeAndre Jordan equals with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
At the time, the claim was purely speculative.
Paul and Griffin were both All-NBA players; Jordan was an athletic, but enigmatic, center who had struggled to find his place on the team with Vinny Del Negro as a coach.
Rivers’ did more than verbally validate Jordan; he put him in better positions to succeed. And, Jordan rewarded him with a ton more production and activity, ascending into the top tier of NBA centers – a journey that culminated last season with a spot on the All-NBA first team and, more impressively, the gold medal stand in Rio de Janerio.