Nets 98, Heat 104: Jerome Jordan meets his archetype
Well, not exactly. Miami’s Hassan Whiteside missed this game due to being suspended for a cheap shot on Kelly Olynyk. The Heat managed just fine without him against the lowly Nets however, kicking off the game with a 34-point first quarter. Miami knocked down 10 of its first 11 shots and 11 of its 14 field goals came at the rim. The Nets’ defense was… rough, to say the least. The Lopez-Young frontcourt was abysmal trying to guard and Alan Anderson being absent didn’t help.
The game got out of hand from there, and aside from a few semi-runs from the Nets at certain points, Miami held control for the rest of the way. Silver linings are that Thaddeus Young’s still looking good offensively, Brook Lopez has continued working his behind off on the glass and Deron Williams looked spry with 18 points on 10 shots.
Although Whiteside couldn’t get on the court and exercise his usual 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a night, he’s been the biggest story surrounding this Heat team all season. Those numbers don’t look all too glamorous, but they’re in just 22 minutes a night. Per-36, they’re at 17.9 points, 16 rebounds and 3.9 blocks on 62.5% shooting from the field. Miami’s been better on both ends of the court with Whiteside playing and yet he’s had an almost identical path to the NBA of one Jerome Jordan.
Both freaks of nature at the center spot but held back by their rawness, Whiteside and Jordan were each selected in the second round, spent little meaningful time in the NBA, hopped around the professional basketball globe and made their way back to the league this season. While Whiteside’s taken the league by storm, Jordan’s been, well, less effective.
Maybe he can’t be Whiteside, but the similarities between the two make it easy to believe that Jordan can follow the archetype and foster himself a legitimate career. What’s made Whiteside so devastating is his seven-foot stature and 7’7″ wingspan and yet Jordan is also seven feet with a 7’6″ wingspan. Jordan isn’t the ridiculous rebounder Whiteside is, but he’s shooting 54.5% from the field on the season - a solid mark - and has made opponents pay at the free throw line with a 84.2% clip.
Jordan seems to get pushed around a bit easier than Whiteside does, and isn’t nearly as adept of a shot blocker yet. On the offensive end, Whiteside has mimicked Tyson Chandler in being able to space the floor by being a major pick-and-roll threat. Jordan hasn’t had the same success with Brooklyn playing with less spacing and with fewer major scoring threats than Miami.
The Nets don’t run a spread pick-and-roll offense, so it’s hard to see Jordan having much room to reach his potential in Brooklyn. It would be nice to see him get some more floor time, but with Lopez and Plumlee ahead of him we likely won’t see it happen. Still, it’s fun to think about what Jordan could be with just how similar he is to the spectacular Whiteside. Maybe one day we’ll see it for ourselves.
