DeAndre Jordan ended his season with the Clippers with a career high 15.2 rpg.
The LA Clippers have seen some elite rebounding stats during the franchise’s history. Each of their top five single season rebounds per game leaders averaged at least 15.0 rebounds per game. Let’s look at all five of those campaigns.
DeAndre Jordan, 2018, 15.2 RPG
The Clippers selected Jordan in the second round of the 2008 Draft. It took him some time to crack the rotation, averaging fewer than 17 minutes per game in each of his first two seasons. However, he would eventually become one of the best rebounders in Clippers history. The 2017-18 season was his final campaign with the Clippers, averaging a career-high 15.2 rebounds per game.
Elmore Smith, 1972, 15.2 RPG
The Clippers franchise was once known as the Buffalo Braves. The Braves selected Smith with the third pick in the 1971 Draft. In his rookie season, he averaged 17.3 points and 15.2 rebounds over 41 minutes per game. That helped him finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, Smith averaged 18.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. That would end up being his final campaign with the Braves. He then joined the Lakers before finishing up his career by playing for the Bucks and Cavaliers.
Bob McAdoo, 1974, 15.1 RPG
The Braves selected McAdoo with the second pick in the 1972 Draft. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1972-73, averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He really exploded the following season, averaging 30.6 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. His scoring average was the highest mark in the NBA and he finished second in MVP voting. McAdoo was named regular season MVP in 1974-75 and led the league in points per game three times with the Braves. Over 334 regular-season games with the franchise, McAdoo averaged 28.2 points and 12.7 rebounds.
Swen Nater, 1980, 15.0 RPG
Nater began his career in the ABA. His first season in the NBA came with the Bucks. Nater then played one season with the Braves before the franchise became the San Diego Clippers. He then spent five seasons with the Clippers, which included him leading the league with 15.0 rebounds per game in 1979-80. He appeared in 81 games that season and averaged 35 minutes. Over 348 regular season games with the franchise, Nater averaged 12.0 rebounds.
DeAndre Jordan, 2015, 15.0 RPG
In 2013-14, Jordan led the NBA by averaging 13.6 rebounds per game. He led the league in the category again in 2014-15 by averaging 15.0 rebounds per game. That same season, Jordan made All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Across 750 career regular season games with the Clippers, he averaged 10.7 rebounds. He made his lone All-Star team in 2016-17 while playing for the Clippers.
