DeAndre Jordan has perfect timing. Yes, I know that may sound odd to Mavs fans who had their hearts broken via a Twitter emoji war a few summers ago. But now Jordan is here, smiles and all, and the timing couldn’t be better.

The reason for his timing being perfect is simple: Dallas didn’t have a superstar-caliber point guard in 2014-2015 – now they do. One could argue that they now have two, with European wonder boy Luka Dončić joining sophomore Dennis Smith Jr. in the back court this year.

Nobody knows how the roster and results would have played out if Jordan joined three years ago. But if they were competitive enough then they could have been the fourth through eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs for a few years, therefore missing out on their chance to grab DSJ and Dončić.

Instead, Jordan bailed. He broke up with the Mavs before they were even together. Dallas was left to pick up the pieces with past-their-prime and odd ball veteran signings like Deron Williams and JaVale McGee. They struggled, mightily. A team that had 11 consecutive 50 win seasons has now only had one in the past seven seasons. But, they got two young superstars in the-making out of that raw deal and now the franchise looks like it can be something fun to watch in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era. All thanks to DeAndre Jordan’s timing.

What has changed?

DeAndre Jordan’s impact on the game has changed the past three years, mostly because of how the NBA has changed. Jordan has seen his blocks per game drop from a career high 2.5 per game in 2013-2014 to only 0.9 per game last season. His block total has decreased almost every year since he stood up the Mavs. A major reason is because the NBA has seen its teams attempt more three pointers. In fact, 2018 was the sixth consecutive year the league had set a record for most attempted threes in a season at 25,807.

Jordan has also aged. He turned 30 years old this past July. When NBA players reach their 30’s they usually start to see some of their athleticism begin to decline. Because he doesn’t really have much of a post-up or face-up game on offense, Jordan relies on his athleticism to create scoring opportunities via alley-oops from his point guards or put-back attempts on the offensive glass. In order to make sure he doesn’t lose a step and can still perform at a high level despite his increasing age Jordan switched to an all-plant diet. Jordan’s diet choice has made him noticeably slimmer and he is reported to have lost 15 pounds this summer.

What has remained steady?

An area of his game that has remained steady is his ability to rebound. Jordan has finished in the top three in rebounds for the last five years. Last year he averaged 15.2 rebounds per game, with 4.3 offensive, a second best of his 10 year career, and 10.9 defensive – a career high.

This is a major reason why the Mavs still wanted him despite the ugly start to their relationship. Dallas has been in the bottom five in total rebounds per game the past two years. They were last in the league in offensive rebounds this past season – Jordan finished third in the league in this category. More offensive rebounds means more second chance points. Dallas finished in the bottom two in second chance points last year. Jordan will be able to give the Mavs a few more scoring opportunities than they have had in recent years.

What has improved?

He is not known for being a play maker, but Jordan has improved in this area. His assist per game have gone from less than one per game four years ago to one and a half last year. Sure, those numbers are modest. But Rick Carlisle’s motion offense relies on passing the ball around and lots of movement. When DJ gets the ball in the post this year, he will have a plethora of shooting and cutting options moving all over the floor, especially since he is being asked to face-up his opponent more than he has in his past. By facing up and seeing the side of the floor that he has usually had his back to, he will be able to utilize his passing ability more. Check out his awesome dish to a cutting Dorian Finney-Smith in the Mavs first preseason game.

Nothing wrong w this pass from DJ to DoeDoe. #MFFL #Mavs pic.twitter.com/SF79jJlo1C

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) September 30, 2018

What does it all mean for the Mavs?

It means that the Mavs finally have a defensive anchor in the middle after they let Tyson Chandler leave the locker room for the last time. This will be his most important impact. With the NBA shooting more threes, that means defensive wing players have to chase the offense off the three point line. When the offense leaves the three point line and drives inside, they will now be met by one of the best defensive big men in the game. Once they leave the three point line, they will have to choose between a tough shot at the rim or an in-efficient mid-range shot. This is an ideal scenario for any defense in today’s NBA.

Also, no one on the Mavs was responsible for more than 2.5 defensive win shares last year – DeAndre Jordan has been in the top 10 in defensive win shares between 2013-2017. He finished with 3.2 defensive win shares last season.

It also means when the Mavs guards break down the defense and drive inside they will have someone to throw a lob to over the defense. We got to see a preview of this between DSJ and DJ in the first preseason game. With the Mavs placing more of an emphasis on three point shot making and DSJ’s ability to break down defenses, there should be plenty of space for Jordan to finish alley-oops.

 

Oops!!! pic.twitter.com/R2LBCm2aL9

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) September 30, 2018

DeAndre Jordan spurned the Mavs and left their fans heartbroken before. His actions resulted in the Mavs being bad enough to land two young players with a tremendous amount of potential. Now he gets to be a part of the bridge to the post-Dirk Nowitzki era that looks fun and promising. His timing couldn’t be better.