Aaron Gordon: Tread Carefully

Look, there are some people who don’t think the NBA Summer League means much. These are the same people who feel that preseason friendlies are also pointless, and in some ways I’d agree with them on that. There are too many friendlies before the regular season begins, and I’m all for cutting some out and extending the regular season by a week.

Why do I say all of this? Well, Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic was one of the true standouts of the Summer League in Orlando before it moved on to Las Vegas.

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I’ll be the first to admit, I felt Aaron Gordon had a below average rookie season. I’ve said as much before, and in my mind it was a combination of a jump to the pros and being unlucky with a couple of niggling injuries. The youngest player in last year’s draft and still only 19 years old, in no way was I ready to give up on him or anything like that. But he began that first season hitting threes and looking like an athletic freak.

Then the flaws surfaced, and there were multiple. Defensively he tried his best, but he’d get lost in many sets, letting his team down. All growing pains, all acceptable. Then Summer League rolled around, and Gordon was beyond impressive, averaging 21.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Those totals made him the top rebounder, and second in scoring behind only Joseph Young (22.5). He also averaged 32.7 minutes per game, most among all players present.

This is why I began with the people who doubt the Summer League; some people just don’t buy into the stats provided, and that’s fine. Players present are either incoming rookies, returning sophomores or guys hoping to stick with a team for the season. The level of competition is high, but it’s still not what guys will face every night during the regular season.

My counter-argument to that however, is that Tobias Harris was the Magic’s best player during preseason last year and went on to have a breakout season. He was paid near the max to stick around in Orlando for another four years this summer as well. So building momentum early on can actually be quite beneficial for a player, and Harris is living proof of that. Still don’t know where this is going? Don’t worry, we’re getting there.

I’ve felt for some time now that this team lacks a true young star who will spearhead a charge back to the playoffs. Victor Oladipo is supposed to be that guy, but as I’ve mentioned here many times before, I think his great two-way skill set means he’s better suited to being the second option on a playoff team. He defends too well to be an out an outright scoring threat and a carrier offensively for this team.

I didn’t know who that star player could potentially be, and I certainly didn’t think it was Gordon. In fact, with Harris signed up and Mario Hezonja looking nice early, I wasn’t even sure where he fit into this team as a starter. You don’t pay Harris that much to be a sixth man, even in this crazy new world where it’s hard to find a bad contract. Then Gordon emerged, and I began to think maybe he was the solution, the answer that was right in front of us all along.

I need to stress again that I’m not jumping on some sort of Gordon bandwagon now that’s he’s suddenly found his feet and looks a really confident and more mature player. I doubted him before and will always admit that, but I also knew that as a rookie his best days were still likely ahead of him. So to see him have a mini-breakout was great and got me excited that his modest stretch play and great rebounding could be the foundation of how good this team could be.

Again with the apparent lack of a true star ready to take over this team, suddenly a chance had presented itself for Gordon to take and become possibly the go to guy in Orlando in the near future. Then, he fractured his jaw, and those doubts came flooding back again. Gordon appears a genuine guy and there’s no doubt this was a legitimate accident. There’s every hope he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season too.

But when you combine this with the fractured foot last year that caused him to only play in 47 games, it’s a cause for concern. His durability may already be in question, there may be concerns as to whether he can carry this team for the long-term if required to. During that Summer League run he most certainly did look ready to have a much greater role in the team, and this is an annoying setback.

Which is why both team and player should tread carefully here. The Magic have what looks to be a rising player still on a rookie deal for some time. He’s slowing turning into everything they thought he would be, all that needs to happen now is for him to transfer this play into the regular season. Missing time through unnecessary injuries however, will only make the Magic think twice about giving him the large role he’s beginning to look like he deserves.

On the flip side of that, this team is crying out for a young stud to assume control here. It’s not Nikola Vucevic, he’s too reserved and not dominant enough defensively to do that. Elfrid Payton is only finding his way as well, but is doing well. Harris is a confident guy, and it’s great he has remained with the team. But if he’s their best player in a couple of years, this team may have problems. That’s not a knock on Harris, but this team with its young core should be aiming high.

Which is why it may be time to calm down a little on Gordon for the moment again. He came out of nowhere during Summer League, that I bought into it all a bit too early. This roster has been filled with question marks surrounding its direction for years now, and finally things were starting to make sense. Gordon had a small emergence, and things were beginning to make sense.

But this Summer League run is proof that in reality it means little in the grand scheme of things. Breaking his jaw only makes this time out worse, although at least it came at a time where there is no competitive basketball to be played. Perhaps Gordon is some sort of savior for this team, the hero hidden in plain sight. Superheroes don’t generally break down so frequently and in such bizarre circumstances though, right?

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