Doc Rivers only uses DeAndre Jordan and Josh Smith at center. That’s risky

The Clippers have begun their campaign with two wins, albeit over sub-elite West clubs (the Kings and Mavericks). L.A. has done all the things you’ve come to expect -- Chris Paul is a maestro, Blake Griffin is a monster -- with some new wrinkles from Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson. What’s most notable is what Doc Rivers hasn’t done, though: he hasn’t played a true center other than DeAndre Jordan beyond garbage time.

Granted, the Clippers only have one acceptable non-Jordan center on the roster, journeyman Cole Aldrich. But with Jordan suffering foul trouble that limited him to 28 minutes in the opener, Rivers played Aldrich for just three seconds. Instead, against a team that features the top-scoring center in the NBA in DeMarcus Cousins, Doc turned to Josh Smith. In Thursday’s game against Dallas, Rivers again called on Smith to back up Jordan, who played just 26 minutes. Aldrich finished the final seven minutes of the blowout with 15th man Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in tow.

So, for 89 minutes of non-garbage time center play early this season, Jordan has soaked up 54 and Josh Smith -- a small forward in Detroit a year ago today -- has played 35. This shows an incredible level of trust from Doc in Smith, who hasn’t been the most trustworthy player over the course of his excitable but flawed career. Rivers is trusting Smith to rebound well enough, to guard the rim and anchor not just a second-unit defense, but at times the first-unit defense. This is completely unprecedented in Smith’s career. Would any other coach have the courage to do this -- not just with any small big, but with Josh Smith?

Here’s the twist: by relying so heavily on Smith as an upjumped center, Doc is really relying on Jordan to do better. The Kings game on Wednesday was close. The Clippers learned very quickly that there was nothing Smith could do to slow Cousins, while Jordan had a fighting chance on every possession. Jordan should have played more minutes, but he couldn’t stay out of foul trouble against Cousins. Foul trouble is one of two things that keeps Jordan on the pine (intentional fouling is the other), and the Clippers really can’t afford to have Jordan forced out in critical situations, including the playoffs.

Doc’s trust is empowering. It’s worked with miscast role players so many times: consider Glen Davis’ entire career a case study on Rivers’ leadership qualities, in addition to stints in Boston for Jeff Green, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and, to some degree, even Rajon Rondo.

Smith is simply the latest project along those lines. By giving a player of questioned repute a massive, vital role and a substantial leash, Doc is setting high expectations and showing his belief in the project. (Almost inevitably, of course, the player disappoints Rivers enough to be severed from the circle of trust and cast away. A guy like Green might bounce in and out of that circle a dozen times a season. Hell, maybe a couple times a game. But I digress.)

Jordan is not in danger of getting cast aside by Rivers, not without the coach/GM blowing up the Clippers’ core. We don’t know what Doc is whispering in DeAndre’s ear, but it doesn’t seem like a greater role in the L.A. offense has materialized yet. (Even Stephenson hasn’t owned many possessions as the starting small forward. This is still the CP3-Blake show with doses of J.J. Redick.)

Yet, it would seem that Rivers is placing the fate of Clippers on Jordan’s back. If he can defend smartly enough to avoid foul trouble and make enough free throws to prevent hacking, Rivers’ inability to pick up a credible second-unit center won’t kill Los Angeles. If Jordan can’t be relied upon at the critical moments, and if Smith can’t stand well out of his natural position, the odds are against the Clippers.

The other twist on this is the vaunted small ball movement made famous by the Warriors in the climax of last season, when Draymond Green finished the finals as a center. Certainly, true centers are less important than ever in the NBA, and the Clippers already do have an upper-tier pivot in Jordan. From a resource allocation standpoint, the investments in Stephenson, Pierce, Austin Rivers and Smith were wiser than spending assets to land Zaza Pachulia or someone given the current positional climate.

In some ways it’s also a hedge. The Clippers’ starting lineup and best unit is traditionally positioned with a true center, but the team has the personnel to go small. In fact, they will be forced to become comfortable with small lineups in the course of the regular season due to the lack of a second true center (other than Aldrich, who appears to be the 14th man). If the Clippers meet a team like the Warriors who forces them to go small in the playoffs, L.A. will know what to do, in theory.

The Clippers will always be fun to watch, so long as CP3 and Griffin run the show and so long as Pierce remains a walking truthbomb. But in terms of intrigue, seeing how Jordan carries his responsibilities and how Smith embraces life as a small ball center tops the list for this club.