21-year old center DeAndre Jordan has stepped up lately with Chris Kaman missing a few games. In his last 5 games, Jordan is averaging 23.8 minutes, 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Overall this season, Jordan has played in 30 games (5 starts) in which he is averaging 12.3 minutes, 3.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He is shooting 65.3% from the floor but only 36.7% from the free throw line so Jordan has something to work on. But, he is showing signs of being a pretty good basketball player and that make the Clippers happy.

Starting power forward Marcus Camby seemed like a player the Clippers didn’t want anymore before the season started. As soon as the Clippers drafted Blake Griffin the rumors swirled that Camby was on his way out of town. Boy were the Clippers smart not to trade Camby with Griffin now down for the year without even scoring a point or playing a minute. Camby has played in 36 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 31.6 minutes, 8.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Camby has been kind of injury prone in his NBA career to date so the Clippers will be keeping their fingers crossed hoping for his continued health.

The 21-year-old Eric Gordon made an immediate impact for the Los Angeles Clippers last season as a rookie, averaging 16.1 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three.  Gordon has always been a hard-worker, dating back to his high school days as a phenom at North Central High School in Indianapolis and his one-and-done year at Indiana University.  He has a professional approach to his game and it is paying off.  Gordon has missed 9 games this season, but he is a strong player and I am not worried about Gordon having an injury plagued career.  Despite missing some games this season due to injury, Gordon has improved in almost every statistical category.  He is averaging 17.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from three point land.  Gordon has a great approach for such a young player, and there are a lot of older NBA players that could learn from the youngster.  The Clippers should hold on to this guy, as he will be a top guard in this league for a while.

Center Chris Kaman has turned into a outstanding player for the Clippers. All he needed was health to prove how good he really is and he is the reason the Clippers are playing well this year. He has played in 32 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. With Kaman playing as well as he is and rookie Blake Griffin almost ready to make his debut look for the Clippers to make a run at the playoffs this season.

Back-up forward Craig Smith has a lot of game but the Clippers aren’t letting him have the needed time to show it. Smith has played in 29 games (0 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 13.9 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Craig Smith is shooting 57.3% from the floor this season as he has a nice touch around the basket. If the Clippers are making a playoff run they might consider trading Smith to get whatever they might need because his playing time is going to go down even more when Blake Griffin is ready to return from his broken kneecap.

It will be interesting to see how the Clippers divvy up the minutes when Blake Griffin returns from injury. Marcus Camby is the player most likely to lose minutes but he has really played well so far this year. Camby has played in 27 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 32.9 minutes, 8.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Camby doesn’t deserve to lose minutes but getting Griffin back will make the Clippers’ front line better and deeper.

The Clippers planned on having Marcus Camby back-up Chris Kaman at center and Blake Griffin at power forward this season. But, when Griffin went down with a broken kneecap, Camby was inserted in the starting lineup and he has played well. Camby has played in 18 games (18 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 31.7 minutes, 8.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. The one thing the Clippers shouldn’t do is trade Camby when Griffin gets healthy as he would be a huge asset off the bench for them.

Chris Kaman has been outstanding so far this season for the Clippers. He has started all 5 games for the Clippers so far this season and he is averaging 40.6 minutes, 22.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Kaman is nailing 60% of his shots so far this season but a lot of them are putbacks and dunks. The Clippers need Kaman to stay healthy all year long so they better have their fingers crossed.

Eric Gordon proved last year that all the hype surrounding him in high school and college was deserved, as the shooting guard averaged 16.1 pts, 2.8 ast, 2.6 reb, 1.o stl, while shooting 46%, 85% from the line, and 39% behind the arc last year as a rookie.  He led the Clippers in scoring last night against the Lakers, getting 21 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds.  He went 7-14 from the field, 5-6 from the charity stripe, and 2-5 on threes.  These stats are pretty impressive considering Kobe Bryant was guarding him most of the game.  The 20-year-old Gordon is a true professional and will be the Clippers number one offensive option this year.  Gordon is a pretty strong defender too, and is off to a great start to what should be a long and successful NBA career.  With he and Baron Davis in the backcourt, the Clippers could be a dangerous team this year.

First round pick Blake Griffin showed a lot of potential in the pre-season for the Clippers. He played in 7 games (5 starts) for the Clippers this pre-season and he averaged 28.0 minutes, 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot 56.9% which is outstanding for a rookie getting his first taste of the NBA. The Clippers are hoping that Blake Griffin lives up to comparisons that people are making with Karl Malone.