Clippers Player Profile: Jordan Farmar

Jordan Farmar Key Stats

There are a plethora of words that each accurately describe Jordan Farmar as a basketball player. He's a veteran, a champion, a journeyman, and an international all-star (who knew?). He's the kind of guy who finds a way to contribute when in a position to do so, and as a result, he could prove to be an integral cog in the Clippers' bench unit this year.

Although Farmar has had some trouble finding his groove in the league in recent years, don't let his stint in the Turkish league get you down. He was an all-star over there, after all, but the road that led him there wasn't promising. In 2012, the Nets traded him to the Hawks, who immediately waived him. Unable to find a suitable role in the NBA, he signed a deal with the Anadolu Efes, who compete in both the Turkish League and EuroLeague. Events like that don't usually bode well for a backup point guard's success in the NBA, but Farmar's scoring numbers have been steadily rising over the course of his career, and he played well (when he wasn't injured) last season.

That being said, the teams he's played on have become worse and worse. But this year, serving as a backup to Chris Paul and filling the spot vacated by Darren Collison, Farmar's back in a situation similar to that when he started his career, backing up Derek Fisher on a contending Lakers team (and happening upon two rings in the process).

The point guard found his way to the Clippers via free agency this year, after his second stint with the other LA team. He tore his hammy last December, causing him to only play in 41 games for the Lakers. Still, he still managed to hoist a career high 30 points against the Sacramento Kings in a game where he went 8-for-10 from distance.

While Farmar has never been a bulk scorer, he's been fairly consistent with his averages over the course of his career. He joins the ranks of the Clippers with deep playoff experience: Matt Barnes, Glen Davis, J.J. Redick and Hedo Turkoglu (which means — just to be clear — it's only the stars' lack of deep postseason experience that needs correcting...).

Farmar has a lot to prove this year and many questions to answer. First, can he play to a level that causes tried and true Clippers fans to overlook the icky Laker-ness that still clings to his being? Can he provide floor leadership with the second unit? And if the worst were to happen and CP3 or Redick go out for a chunk of time, can he do an adequate job filling in until their return?

As it were, the ex-Bruin is quite similar to the other former Bruin he's replacing. Farmar is certainly more aggressive than Collison in regards to jumpshooting, especially from distance, but he's less efficient overall in scoring (Farmar's only a 73% career free throw shooter). But Farmar will provide more opportunities to spread the floor — he's a good spot-up shooter and averages more assists than Collison. I'll look for him to facilitate offensive movement when the second unit goes through those scoring droughts that plagued them last season. And like Collison, Farmar can hold his own in transition. It's (still) gonna be Lob City!

Not to bring up any bad memories (though a last-second loss to the 2012 Nets probably doesn't have much of a lingering effect), but here's a little taste of Farmar's spot-up 3-point game. He could be a nice little weapon in crunch time this year.