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Top 5 Players From 2014 NBA Draft

By Carter Johnson

Mar 4, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon competes during the dunk contest during the NBA All Star Saturday Night at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic

2014 Draft Selection: Round 1, No. 4 (ORL)

2015-16 Stats: 9.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 BPG, 0.8 SPG

Career Accolades: N/A

After one season at the University of Arizona, nobody really knew what to make of Aaron Gordon.

He was an athletic forward with defensive versatility who couldn’t really put the ball on the floor, but was a decent shooter from three-point range. Comparisons ranged from Blake Griffin to a more polished Shawn Marion for Gordon.

Compared to his peers, he had a relatively underwhelming collegiate career, averaging 12.4 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal per game on an Arizona team that lost in the Elite Eight. Things didn’t get much better his rookie season in the league as he struggled to earn playing time and failed to make either of the All-Rookie Teams that year.

It seemed Gordon was on the path to mediocrity — that is, until his fortunes changed overnight with a showstopping performance in the 2016 Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend.

Gordon went dunk for dunk with the reigning champ and dazzled fans with his unique leaping ability and creativity. Although he suffered a controversial loss, he essentially won over the hearts of many fans that night and has had a following ever since.

While his stats and minutes didn’t see an increase as a result, fans tuned in to Magic games to see if Gordon would deliver a jaw-dropping slam in traffic — and he often did:

Gordon has immense highlight reel capability, which is enough to capture the public’s attention, but he still needs to build upon his trademark athleticism. His rebounding ability hasn’t translated to the pros as well as expected and he hasn’t shown the same outside shooting stroke he displayed in college (career 28.9 percent shooter from deep).

If he can add some skill to his otherworldly bounce, he can potentially become a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Next: No. 4