Orlando Magic: 3 goals for Aaron Gordon in 2018-19
By Luke Duffy
With a new contract extension, Aaron Gordon needs to continue showing improvement for the Orlando Magic. Here are three ways he can in 2018-19.
If the Orlando Magic are going to have any hope of being a playoff team in 2018-18, their whole team is going to need to step up, but no one more so than Aaron Gordon, who signed an extension with the team during the offseason.
With Gordon’s services now secured for the long-term, it is safe to assume he is the face of the Magic until further notice. This is even truer when you consider who else is currently on the roster.
Orlando’s two other young forwards, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba, may have cornerstone potential in the future, but we live in the here and now, so this is Gordon’s mantle to lose for the time being.
A return to the playoffs may be just out of reach this year, but there are still many areas in which Gordon can improve to help the team at least try and get back to the postseason.
Despite coming off the best season of his young career last year and posting career highs in most statistical categories, that four-year, $80 million deal means it is fair to expect even more.
After watching players like Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris blossom elsewhere in recent seasons, the organization could do with a win. Whisper it quietly, but players like Evan Fournier and Jonathon Simmons are failing to inspire too.
With all of that in mind, here are three expectations for Gordon heading into year five in Orlando. If he could accomplish two of these, it would be considered a successful season for him from a personal point of view.