22-year old center DeAndre Jordan has been a force in the paint so far in January.  Jordan has played in 4 games so far this month and he is averaging 34.3 minutes, 8.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 4.0 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 37 games (28 starts) so far this year and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game.  If Jordan keeps playing the way he is right now, the Clippers might put Chris Kaman on the trading block.

31-year old point guard Baron Davis is starting 2011 on the right foot.  In his first three games in January, Davis is averaging 30 minutes, 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Davis is also shooting 48.6% from the floor so far this month.  Davis has now played in 22 games (14 starts) so far this year for the Clippers and he is averaging 26.5 minutes, 9.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  If Davis remains hot, maybe his owner (Donald Sterling) will quit heckling him during games.

22-year old center DeAndre Jordan is really playing well this month for the Clippers.  With Chris Kaman out of action due to injury the Clippers needed Jordan to step up and he has played pretty well in December.  Jordan has played in 13 games so far in December and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 7.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  He is shooting an amazing 68.3% from the floor in December but only 38.5% from the free throw line as most of his shots come on putbacks and dunks.  Jordan has now played in 31 games (22 starts) so far this year for the Clippers and he is averaging 22.4 minutes, 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  The Clippers are considering dealing Kaman because they think Jordan is ready for prime time.

21-year old power forward  Blake Griffin is a beacon in the darkness for the Los Angeles Clippers.  Griffin has played in 23 games (all starts) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 35.9 minutes, 20.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.  He is shooting 51% from the floor but only 58% from the free throw line.  Part of the reason for that is because Griffin’s favorite shot appears to be a nasty dunk in a defensive players’ face.  That being said, no one has really been able to stop him so far this year.

Due to the Clippers horrible start and the great play of rookie Blake Griffin, 21-year old shooting guard Eric Gordon’s hot start has gone overlooked.  Gordon has played in 16 games (all starts) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 37.2 minutes, 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  The only thing Gordon has to do for the Clippers is quit shooting so many threes until he starts getting into a groove.  He has only made 19 of 82 (23.2%) shots from three point range so far this year and that just won’t get it done.

21-year old rookie Blake Griffin missed all of last season due to a broken kneecap. So he is trying to make up for lost time and the early returns are quite good. Griffin has started 4 games for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 16.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The player that Griffin has been compared most to is Hall of Famer Karl Malone and the Clippers would be ecstatic if he has that kind of career because the result in that would be a lot of wins.

21-year old center DeAndre Jordan has been a solid backup for the Clippers his first two years in the league. Jordan played in 70 games (12 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 4.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 123 games (25 starts) in which he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 4.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 blocked shot. Jordan could be a starter down the road for the Clippers when Kaman starts to get old.

28-year old center Chris Kaman turned into a tough guy in 2009-10 for the Clippers and they hope he keeps up the good work. The 7’0″, 265 pound Kaman played in 76 games (all starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 18.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. The Clippers are likely going to keep Kaman around for a while and hope that he builds off of last season. Kaman has played in 461 games (409 starts) in his seven years with the Clippers and he has averaged 30.0 minutes, 11.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Since coming over in the Marcus Camby trade with the Blazers, Blake has played decent basketball. Blake has played in 25 games (7 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 24.6 minutes, 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He is shooting 42% from the floor with the Clippers but 42.3% from three point range. He is doing a solid job of giving Baron Davis a breather whenever he needs one.

Backup forward Craig Smith is good enough to start in the NBA but he always seems to be buried on the bench. He has played in 66 games (2 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 16.1 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Smith is shooting 56.8% from the floor as he always seems to pick the right time to shoot the ball. If the Clippers can’t give Smith more playing time next season they should do him a favor and trade him.