DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan is a 38-year-old emergency-depth center. The only current evidence I found says he is behind Yves Missi, and a leadership role is the reason the Pelicans re-signed him.
Role
I found no regular-season minutes or usage data for 2026-27. RotoWire's Oct. 7 preseason note, carried on Fox Sports, says he was a DNP-CD against Oklahoma City even though New Orleans went deep into its bench. It says he figures to be depth behind Yves Missi and could struggle to find consistent playing time when the Pelicans are healthy. I did not find a starting five or rotation tracker for this season, so I cannot say who starts or who else competes for his minutes. Our data shows 1 GP and 20 MIN last season. Coverage of the 2025-26 season (the one before the season now under way) shows he started in stretches when the frontcourt was thin, then moved back to the bench.
The optimists' argument is injury-driven opportunity. Zion Williamson has missed at least 12 games in every year of his career (ESPN, Oct. 2025), and the Pelicans' center group has had injuries. Jordan started games in the 2025-26 season when bigs were out, and RotoWire noted at the time that he would stay in the rotation if the frontcourt stayed thin. A rebounding and rim-protection specialist could get spot minutes whenever Missi or others miss time.
The skeptics' argument is that he was signed for leadership, not production. SI's piece on his re-signing says the team brought him back for his off-court impact, not his box score stats. He did not play in the Oct. 7 preseason game, and RotoWire expects him to struggle for playing time once the roster is healthy. At 38 he projects as a deep reserve with little offensive role.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement that he is a mentor and a reserve. The only open question is how much opportunity injuries to the other bigs create, and I found no analyst arguing about it.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at C
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