Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan, bound for the Olympics, earns raves from Team USA coaches

Not so long ago, DeAndre Jordan would have been angry at being left off the NBA All-Star team and his confidence might have been dented by what has become an annual snub. Not anymore, now that the Clippers center can say he’s an Olympian and will play for the U.S. in the Rio de Janeiro Games.

“I think this is way bigger than any of that. I think making first team all-NBA is bigger than any of that,” said Jordan, who earned all-NBA honors for the first time last season. “When I was younger I used to care, but now I don’t really. It doesn’t matter to me. As long as I have the respect of my peers and coaches around the league, that’s what really matters.”

Jordan’s work ethic and versatility earned raves from his coaches Wednesday after Team USA’s workout and scrimmage against the USA Basketball Select team at Nevada Las Vegas’ Mendenhall Center. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Jordan “isn’t a good guy — he’s a great guy,” and a better player than Krzyzewski had anticipated.

“He’s a world-class athlete who is an amazing defender, rebounder, great teammate,” Krzyzewski said of Jordan, a two-time all-NBA defensive team selection and two-time league rebounding leader. “He’s a guy that really doesn’t get tired. You talk about big guys, this is our third day. Pretty hard practice and he looks like the first day. And that’s very unusual.”

Assistant coach Jim Boeheim even insisted there’s hope for Jordan’s lamentable free-throw shooting after working extensively with him. “I’ll tell you this, and this is unequivocal, he’s worked harder than anybody we’ve ever had in practice that I’ve ever seen,” Boeheim said. “We’ve had Kobe, and LeBron…. He busts his tail every day. We put the zone [defense] in, he didn’t even realize what he was doing and he did better than guys that I’ve taught that zone to for a long time.

“I haven’t really seen that much of him. I think he’s incredible. I’d love to have him on my team. I don’t think there’s a center that I can think of that I’d rather have on my team, especially the way we play. With our defense, he’d be my first pick if I could pick him.”

Jordan deflected the praise. “I gave him a hundred bucks to say good stuff about me,” he said. But it’s clear that being chosen for the Olympic team means a lot to him.

“That’s really humbling to hear, especially coming from a great coach like him,” said Jordan, who will be 28 on Thursday. “I just want to be as good as I can for this team and take back whatever I can back to my NBA team.”

A year ago, it wasn’t clear which team that would be.

Courted by the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent, he agreed to go there for a promised starring role instead of being one of the Clippers’ Big Three alongside Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. He reneged after holing up in his Houston home and being pressured by Clippers teammates and signed a four-year, $88-million deal to stay in Los Angeles. He followed up with career- highs in points per game (12.7) and defensive rebounds per game (10.3).

If last summer was one of craziness, this is his summer of validation.

“It’s been a long journey for me, man, since 2008 when I got drafted,” said Jordan, who was chosen 35th overall. “It’s been up and down. I’ve seen a lot of teammates, a lot of coaches, but I’ve stuck with it and I’ve had a lot of good people in my corner. And I don’t want this to be the end of anything that I’m doing. I want to continue to grow off this and use this to become a better player.”

Playing for Team USA also gives him a chance to spend time with Kevin Durant, who called Jordan “my best friend in the world.” Not friendly enough, though, for Jordan to persuade Durant to sign with the Clippers as a free agent instead of with Golden State. “We’ll talk about that later,” Durant joked.

But Durant was eager to talk about Jordan’s deserving his Olympic berth. “We talked about it right after the season ended. He was like, ‘Do you think I’ll make the team?’ I was, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Durant said. “Once we both got the call we were excited to play with one another and just hang with each other for a couple months.

“He’s like a point guard, you know. Point guards create plays for others. The way he rolls to the rim and commands so much attention, he gets everybody open shots. He doesn’t care about post-ups or getting his shots. Rebounds, kicks it off set screens, rolls, gets everyone shots. He’s just as valuable as a point guard.”

But a lot bigger, at 6 feet 11. “The game is definitely evolving. It’s become more guard-oriented,” Jordan said. “But at the same time we’ve got a lot of big guys who still kick ass. We’ll never be extinct. I don’t think we’ll be extinct even though we know there’s no more centers in the NBA. Call me a forward when you introduce me.”

Just call him an Olympian. He has earned it.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

Twitter: @helenenothelen