Orlando Magic: Aaron Gordon Bringing The Buzz Back
By Luke Duffy
When the Orlando Magic selected forward Aaron Gordon with the fourth pick in the NBA draft this summer, we all knew that the guy would turn heads with his athleticism. Some thought he was maybe taken a little too soon, ahead of more established names like Marcus Smart and more fancied names like Dante Exum. Although it’s only the preseason and it’s certainly early days, there has been a lot to like about Gordon. It just might not be for all the reasons you might think.
It takes something special to get excited about watching a team, especially a relatively poor one. The Phoenix Suns were supposed to be terrible last season, and they weren’t. They didn’t make the playoffs, but point guards Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic made them must-watch television if you could find their games. Sadly for the Orlando Magic, they did not have this problem.
I first saw a mixtape video of Gordon in late 2012, showing the then 16-year-old dunking on what felt like about 200 people in about four minutes. Most of the YouTube comments poked fun at the fact it looked like Blake Griffin had gone back to school to hammer opponents, but that’s what it looked like.
Back then, he sometimes did this sort of flex of his arm as he dunked, probably to stand out from the crowd. He was the only player to my knowledge to do this, but hopefully it is not something we will see again. The point is though, silly arm movements or not, he was exciting. So when I managed to find a way to get a glance at him in two of Orlando’s preseason games to date, against the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, I was excited to see what he could bring to the court.
My excitement was initially misplaced, as Gordon looked like, well a rookie. He made mistakes, and like his Summer League debut a couple of months back, he had a serious case of the jitters. But then something started to form in front of my eyes, and I began to get excited for a completely different reason. Was it just my imagination, or was this guy actually defending to a decent standard?
You might be puzzled as to why I would get hyped up about a rookie trying hard on the court during a meaningless preseason game. They are after all, trying to impress their new employers really hard in most cases. But a guy like Gordon, he can live off of his athleticism alone and be a very good player in this league. Griffin did it for years and was an All-Star, and now that he has begun to add a bit of a midrange game and defending to his arsenal, he is eyeing up becoming a top 10 player in this league. Aaron could have absolutely taken the same route, and nobody would have blamed him.
His defense out on the perimeter in particular was commendable. He was chasing players out of their spots, disrupting their rhythm. This is all great stuff, and it shows he has the right team-first mentality to go with his considerable talents. Then you remember, this kid is only 19 years old, he was born in 1995. 1995! If he’s doing this now, how much better can he get realistically? I’m willing to bet a whole lot judging by early glimpses of him.
Of course, Gordon also did showcase the moves that got him noticed initially. One alley-oop move in particular over the lumbering Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers set thumbs into overdrive online in some places. Against the Miami Heat, he finished with six points, eight rebounds and one block in 29 minutes of play. He was bouncy and full of life, and already looked to be the injection of on-court enthusiasm not seen since that guy who wore No. 12 and had that amusing pregame dance routine. He was also pretty good on the court as well to be fair to him.
The point is, there was so much more to like to Gordon’s game than there even should have been. Even more heartening is the eight rebounds he notched. He was working hard for his team and crashing the glass, and it helped the Magic pull away for the win in overtime. The offense isn’t likely to run through him, but he will get more points because of put backs and the like. Heck, he could even be one of the premier stealing big men in this league too if he continues to blossom on the defensive end.
Yes it’s been a small sample size, and yes maybe it’s because there hasn’t been much to cheer about in literally years. But I’m not afraid to say I’m more excited watching this guy than I was when the team drafted Victor Oladipo last year. That is not a slight on the shooting guard, it’s just I didn’t expect this much from Gordon so soon. So no pressure big fella, but you’ve got this writer firmly in your corner backing you up heading into the regular season.