Aaron Gordon: Finding The Positives In Injury Setback
By Luke Duffy
When a team is bottom of their division and not playing terribly well, and then one of their promising rookies goes down with a foot fracture, it can be easy for the storm clouds to close in and for the team and it’s fan base to have negative feelings.
This is exactly what has happened to the Orlando Magic, with forward Aaron Gordon out indefinitely because of a fractured foot suffered in the loss to the Washington Wizards Saturday night.
Now, while it would be a lot better to have him in the rotation, this isn’t a team blessed with a ton of talent after all, could this in fact be a blessing in disguise in the long run?
If I was to describe Gordon’s rookie season so far in one word, it would be either rushed or overwhelmed. This guy has skills there is no question, and he is still only 19 years of age, which is crazy to think when you consider how well built he is.
But on the court, while there have been some good moments, and even a made three pointer, it’s all looked a bit much for the guy. He’s playing with fully grown men now, veterans who have been in this league a long time, on a nightly basis.
To put this into context, Gordon was not alive when Michael Jordan won his first three NBA titles.
Taking a timeout now, albeit a forced one, could have positive implications later on in the year. He doesn’t exactly need to get into the gym much to add bulk to his frame. But it’s the mental side of his game that needs a breather, and he’s about to get one.
The biggest knock on Gordon so far has been his defensive game. Like, the guy flat out gets lost on a lot of defensive possessions. Often his man gets separation far too easily, forcing another Magic player to come over and help Gordon out.
This in turn means that their man is left open, leading to easy scores against Orlando. It doesn’t help that center Nikola Vucevic, for all of the great things he does for this team, is still an average defensive player at best.
If somebody like a Marc Gasol or Dwight Howard was anchoring the paint behind Gordon, his defensive inabilities would be masked more often. So getting in and watching a lot of tape on how he can improve in this regard can only be a good thing.
Another reason losing Gordon isn’t the end of the world right now is because, even with him in the rotation, this is not a very good team. Even with Gordon healthy, there’s no way they’re going to win 40 games, so if ever there was a time to sit out, it’s now.
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A couple of years from now, Gordon could be the best player on this team, and losing him to a foot fracture then would be a much bigger blow. This is similar to what the Oklahoma City Thunder are going through with Kevin Durant out now and the team really struggling.
We’re not comparing Gordon to Durant now or ever, of course, just showing that it’s if ever there was a time to be injured, it is now.
Obviously there are negatives that come with being injured as well, and not playing on a nightly basis is one of them. Rookies need to play through their early struggles, it’s how they get used to the professional game. Sitting for an extended period of time really doesn’t help in that regard.
Plus let’s not forget, I might have knocked his defensive game earlier, but he was big in wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. His 17 points and six rebounds against the Timberwolves in particular illustrated a player full of promise.
But if I’m being honest, and a little bit naive as well, this isn’t the worst thing that could have happened. Guard Victor Oladipo is back now, and having him back for this team will be massive. Yes, Gordon is capable of providing highlight plays and it has been fun to watch him grapple with the talent in this league.
He is literally the youngest player in the NBA. But his 5.8 points and three rebounds a night off the bench he’s averaging can be sourced from elsewhere in this team right now, and that’s the truth of the matter.
I just hope that while he’s out of sight for an extended period, that he watches a lot of film, and shoots a lot of jump shots when he’s allowed to do so. It’s clear he doesn’t have much of a jumper, but building one up now could pay huge dividends when he returns and is beating his man in a variety of ways.
I don’t like the comparisons with Blake Griffin–talk about unnecessary pressure–but you can see how much a consistent jumper has meant to Griffin’s overall game. A similar effect could happen with Gordon.
Hopefully this will be a once off injury, and not a worrying and recurring foot problem. Of course I wish this hadn’t happened, and I wouldn’t wish injury on anybody, I would much rather he was learning the hard way on the court right now with his teammates.
But it is what it is, injuries are a part of the game, and I think Gordon will take this setback and use it to his long-term advantage.