Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Report: DeAndre Jordan Has 'Rubbed Teammates the Wrong Way' with Selfish Play

Timothy Rapp

The DeAndre Jordan era in Dallas is reportedly off to a shaky start.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, Jordan has "rubbed teammates the wrong way" this season:

"Don't be deceived by DeAndre Jordan's solid statistics. He has been a major disappointment for the Mavs. He has rubbed teammates the wrong way with what they perceive as selfish play, the most blatant example being when he stole an uncontested rebound from Luka Doncic by putting his forearm in the prized rookie's back and tipping the ball away. Jordan's disinterest in playing help defense has been a big problem as Mavs opponents light up the scoreboard."

Neither Doncic nor Mavs owner Mark Cuban seemed particularly happy with Jordan after the play in question, which occurred in an early November game against the New York Knicks.

Jordan has also been known to "glare at one of his teammates when they poach a rebound that Jordan feels is rightfully his for the taking," per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, though his teammates have seemed fine with his rebounding zeal.

"There's some friendly fire from time to time, which is OK," Dwight Powell noted.

Added J.J. Barea: "Yeah, I think he feels like that's his job, like he should get them all. But we shouldn't just rely on him all the time. But he definitely thinks they're all his."

Jordan is dominating on the boards, averaging 13.7 per game to go along with 11.2 points per game and 1.3 blocks per game. And head coach Rick Carlisle doesn't want Jordan to lose his edge on the glass.

"One of the reasons we coveted him was because of his rebounding," he said. "He's been a premier rebounder for the last five or six years. When you got a guy who has a strength like that, you want him to do what he does."

But Jordan's desire to snag any rebound in his vicinity has perhaps worn thin. And his defense hasn't been as good as advertised, with the Mavericks holding a 109.7 defensive rating this season, just 22nd in the NBA. With Jordan on the floor, that rating is not as good: 110.2. When he's off the floor, it shrinks to a far more impressive 100.9.

It gets worse. With Jordan on the floor, the Mavs have a net rating of minus-6.1; when he's off the court, it's a solid 6.7.

It's early in the season, so adjustments can be made, and Jordan has the opportunity to show improvement on the defensive end. But it appears the Mavericks may not be thrilled with their big offseason signing.

   

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