NEW YORK -- Upon hearing that his coach had jokingly confused him for one of the best centers in NBA history, all Jerome Jordan could do was chuckle.
“Jerome who?” Lionel Hollins asked after Jordan had 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in Sunday’s preseason game against the Boston Celtics.
“I thought that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out there.”
Jordan is trying to make the Brooklyn Nets’ 15-man roster heading into the regular season.
So far, so good.
“I like the kid. I’ve had him before and I’m pulling for him [to make the team],” said Hollins, who had to cut Jordan when he was in camp with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012. “But he’s gotta earn it. He made a step in that direction tonight. He did what we asked, he scored more than we expected. But he was trying to guard the basket and he had a couple blocked shots. He played decent.”
Jordan had a sweet spin-move in the post that led to a nice two-handed dunk, too.
“I think there’s always room for improvement,” Jordan said. “But I think I showed a little bit of everything on the defensive end, rebounding and blocking shots. I feel like if I get picked, those will be the things I’ll do. I need to just keep doing that and whatever I can contribute on the offensive end would be a plus.”
With Brook Lopez already dealing with another injury to his right foot and Kevin Garnett entering his 20th season, the Nets are likely going to be in need of some depth up front, which makes Jordan an intriguing option.
“I hope I had an equal shot by just coming here, trying to work hard in practice every day and hopefully the coaches see that and give me a chance,” Jordan said.
Jordan, 28, has not been in the NBA since he was a member of the New York Knicks in 2011-12.
“It’s been two years,” he said. “I’ve grown a little bit. I have an opportunity here to play and show what I can do, so I’m trying to make the most of it.”
