Orlando Magic: 2017-18 player grades for Aaron Gordon
By Luke Duffy
Strengths
Coming in to the season, the feeling around Gordon was still one of a player who had crazy athleticism, but was kind of a Blake Griffin-lite kind of player. There was little question that, in order to take the next step, Gordon had to diversify his offensive game by adding a more reliable jump shot.
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That he did just that was the single most positive takeaway from the season for Gordon. Although he finished the season shooting 33.6 percent from deep, he started the year white-hot.
At one point early in the season he led the league in 3-point percentage, a truly impressive feat when you consider how basically everybody in the NBA can shoot the 3-ball these days.
In the month of October, Gordon shot an insane 59.1 percent from 3-point range, and in November, posted a still impressive 39.8 percent.
The ability to dunk and grab rebounds and finish around the rim has been there since day one, but the more consistent jump shot was his key to taking the next step.
Defensively he showed some improvement too, as the team allowed 107.1 points when he was on the court (still a poor number), compared to the 108.2 of a season before.
Really though, it was the improved shooting that was the key for Gordon, as fans no longer held their breath when he stepped into a jump shot.