Orlando Magic: Why Aaron Gordon Will Have A Breakout Year

Yes, the NBA Summer League shouldn’t be the end-all be-all in terms of telling whether a player may be due for a breakout regular season, but Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon has been here before.

Already having one season under his belt, Gordon was back with the Magic for more summer action in Orlando, and he didn’t disappoint.

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In 32.7 minutes per game, Gordon averaged 21.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Oh, and by the way, he also shot 50 percent from the field.

Granted, this was going to be a small sample size to begin with because the Orlando league is much shorter than the main event out in Las Vegas, but to see Gordon flash this kind of stat line over the three games he played was a sight to see by personnel and fans across the country.

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Gordon was injured for a part of last season, meaning that his overall development was stunted slightly because he didn’t get as many reps in game situations as he could have. However, that never takes away from the work that can be put in during the offseason, and it looks as though he’s taken full advantage of that time.

Coming into his rookie season, one of the biggest question marks regarding Gordon’s game was his jump shot. When it comes to other areas of the game, he’s versatile enough to play the small or power forward position, but his limited shooting ability has tended to keep him based more around the rim on offense.

That may no longer be the case if his summer performances are to be taken seriously.

And it’s not even the improvements he’s made on his catch-and-shoot looks that have been the most impressive. More often than not, Gordon was creating his own shot off the dribble, something that will serve him well if he’s going to get more playing time on the perimeter.

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For starters, his shot itself looks much cleaner. There’s no longer any pause in his shooting motion when bringing his arm up and following through on his release. Everything flows in one motion, which comes a lot from the confidence he has built taking those shots.

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It’s clear he’s put in the work and reps to be able to knock down pull-up shots with ease, but what he’s done extending his shot off the dribble to outside the three-point line is remarkable. Gordon looks comfortable taking those shots, which is certainly progress given the fact that he rarely looked comfortable taking spot-up looks from that distance last year.

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Now players have had remarkable shooting performances in the summer leagues before and they haven’t translated well into the next season, but not all of those players have looked as confident as Gordon has when taking those shots. He’s changed his mechanics and it’s shown. The consistency on his form is much improved, which is why this addition to his offensive game should carry over come the regular season.

Speaking of offensive skills, Gordon already had a decent handle for a player his size at 6-foot-8, but he was never really asked to bring the basketball up the floor off of a defensive rebound. Gordon put that responsibility on himself more than once and the results were generally positive, as his passing ability led to easy shots for his teammates in transition.

And when he was the man on the fast break? Well, Gordon has always known how to finish.

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Gordon is an elite athlete, and now that he’s figuring out how to improve his basketball skills, his career is going to start taking off, giving justification to the Magic drafting him with the fourth overall pick — a few spots ahead of where a lot of draft analysts had him projected.

Defensively, he’s able to guard multiple positions, play the passing lanes and help on defense to challenge and block shots at the rim. He’s one of the best defensive players at his size, and that’s going to keep him on the floor regardless of whether the development in his offensive game is a fluke or not.

I’ve said a lot of positives about Gordon, and I didn’t even mention his rebounding ability. Gordon’s athleticism and quick second jump allow him to get after the boards in a way that few others in this league can. If he can continue to grab rebounds at a similar rate as he did this summer, then Orlando will be that much more dangerous of a basketball team because of his ability to handle the basketball and bring it up the floor on the fast break.

Gordon has a lot going for him as a prospect, and he’s only going to continue to get better. If he becomes a marksman with his jump shot, then all bets are off in terms of the type of player he can become. His ceiling continues to rise, something that’s not said about a lot of prospects once they actually get into the NBA.

He’s a special talent indeed. And because of his confidence and poise, his improved game will carry over into the regular season.

The Magic are starting to look like a team I wouldn’t want to face on a nightly basis, due in no small part to Gordon’s improvements.

Next: Youth Gives Glimpse Into The Future At Summer League

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Why Aaron Gordon Will Have A Breakout Season For Magic

By Nathan Grubel | Jul 17, 2015

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