Orlando Magic: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

5. Aaron Gordon (2014)

• Pick: 4th
• Orlando seasons: 6 (2014-present)
• Orlando averages: 399 games, 28.6 minutes, 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.1 3-pointers made
• Orlando slash line: .447/.318/.701
• Picked before: Marcus Smart (6), Julius Randle (7), Zach LaVine (13)

Would Orlando be a better team with Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, or Zach LaVine right now? The only disappointment for the Magic in this draft was just back luck – the Philadelphia 76ers selected Joel Embiid third. You can argue Orlando could have traded up for the All-Star big man, but there were concerns about Embiid’s injuries.

Gordon’s had a strange career even by Magic standards. Like Isaac, he started slow. He entered the league as a teenager, and only averaged single-digit points and shots in his first two seasons, but his production took off in years four and five.

Following a disastrous attempt by new head coach Frank Vogel to make Gordon a small forward, Gordon returned to his natural position of power forward and had a significantly better season. But after Vogel’s firing, Gordon’s production took off under new head coach Steve Clifford.

Gordon’s production unexpectedly dipped this season, but he was on a hot streak before the coronavirus hit. Gordon averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on a .486/.342/.745 slash line in the 11 games before the season was suspended.

Gordon hasn’t lived up to the hype of a top-five pick, but he’s improved steadily in his first five seasons – despite the mountain of trade rumors – and he’s only 24 years old. There’s a thought process in the NBA that Orlando needs to trade either Gordon or Jonathan Isaac because they can’t play together.

Two big, athletic power forwards who aren’t shooters don’t mesh well on the court at the same time. Eventually, the Magic will probably need to decide between the two, and since Isaac is still on his rookie deal, they’ll probably stick with him.