Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan experiencing arrested development

What’s good for Drew Gooden and the Clippers may not be so favorable for the development of DeAndre Jordan.

After starting twice and averaging 27 minutes in the first three games after the Clippers traded Marcus Camby, Jordan has seen his playing time plummet since Gooden joined the Clippers.

Jordan played 17 minutes Monday against Charlotte and only 15 minutes Wednesday against Detroit. The Clippers won both games, and interim Coach Kim Hughes said Gooden would start at power forward for the foreseeable future.

Still, Hughes acknowledged Thursday that he would try to balance the needs of his team with Jordan’s need to grow in his second NBA season. The 6-foot-11 center is one of only five Clippers under contract for next season, and his improvement over the season’s final two months could pay dividends in 2010-11.

“I’m trying to win games, but I think the only way for DeAndre to get better is to play him,” Hughes said. “It may hurt us theoretically a little bit for games, but I think the end result is it makes us better.”

Hughes said Jordan has a chance to become a dominant defender because of his lateral speed, quickness and strength. But the coach doesn’t anticipate Jordan averaging a double-double in points and rebounds unless he can improve his hook shot and fix a structural defect in his jump shot and free throws.

“I don’t even look at his offense,” Hughes said. “I’ve told him before, ‘You could be a Bill Russell type and make a career in this league making tons of money, but you have to focus on’ ” defense.

His offense is certainly on the upswing. Jordan has averaged 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes over the last five games -- a considerable uptick over his season average of 4.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.1 minutes.

Jordan said he is trying to improve his moves around the basket, though he endured a tough stretch in the first quarter Saturday against Sacramento when he airballed one hook shot left-handed and another right-handed.

Jordan is left-handed but is also comfortable shooting with his other hand. “If I’m able to go right,” he said, “then you become a double threat.”

His free throws are still a lingering issue, with Jordan shooting a career-worst 34.1% despite daily tinkering. Of course, that’s one area where Hughes can’t say much, having made only 33.3% of his foul shots in the NBA.

“He told me he’d never penalize me for missing free throws,” Jordan said.

Streak stopper?

The Clippers will get a chance to gauge whether their three-game winning streak is a sign of progress or merely a matter of beating middling teams when they play at Phoenix on Friday.

The Suns have won 10 of 12 games and have a six-game winning streak against the Clippers.

“They’ve stuck it to us several games,” Hughes said, “but I like the way we’re playing much better than we have at really any point in the year, and I like the swagger of some of the guys and I like the chemistry that we’re kind of developing.”

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