Orlando Magic: Is this the year Aaron Gordon puts it together?
By Chip Murphy
Can Aaron Gordon become a super role player for the Orlando Magic?
Aaron Gordon’s legacy right now is his impressive slam dunk contest performances. But Gordon announced that he’s done with dunk contests following the “controversy” with Dwayne Wade’s judging. Now, he has a chance to become known as more than a high flyer.
Gordon is never going to be a superstar, but he has the skills to be one of the league’s best role players. The dream scenario was always that Gordon becomes prime Draymond. That may be a pipe dream now but Gordon has flexed some of the skills that make Green so special.
I get why people are hesitant about Gordon. No one ever accused Gordon of superior shot selection. According to Cleaning the Glass, he was in the 77th percentile of long midrange jumper frequency last season (gasp!), and worse, he converted them at just a 22 percent rate.
The irony of Gordon’s sometimes ball-dominant ways is that he really shines when he’s off the ball. Gordon is one of the league’s best cutters. Last season, he finished in the 91st percentile of efficiency — via Synergy Sports.
We need more of that and less of this.
One of my favorite aspects of Gordon’s game is how active he is as a rebounder. Last season, he ranked in the 89th percentile for offensive rebounding percentage and 92nd percentile for defensive rebounding percentile, via Cleaning the Glass.
For whatever reason, this play against the Knicks stood out. Gordon tracks the miss from the top of the key, no one boxes him out, and it’s an easy layup. There’s a bunch of makes just like this one. Gordon led the Magic with 2.4 second-chance points per game, per Synergy.
Gordon’s not just a passer out of the post. He can also score. He’s very good at taking advantage of mismatches and sealing off defenders near the rim for an easy bucket. This play against Tobias Harris is a prime example of Gordon flat out forcing his defender out of the way.
The Magic rarely use Gordon as the roll man in pick-and-roll situations, but he can be useful there too — finishing in the 73rd percentile on just 25 possessions. Again, Gordon is at his best when he’s off the ball.
But we have to talk about his passing. This is the skill that he can use to set himself apart. He really stepped up his passing over the last two seasons.
Gordon averaged 2.3 assists per game in 2017-18 and 3.7 per in each of the last two seasons. Gordon finished in the 91st and 88th percentile in assist percentage for forwards, respectively, last season, per CTG.
Like Green, Gordon can create in the pick and roll and pass effectively out of the post. He can also set up teammates while on the move — a rare skill for someone his size.
Gordon particularly excels at finding cutters both in and out of post-up situations. This pass to Terrence Ross is as impressive a pass as you’re going to get from a power forward.
His athleticism also factors into how far he can take his playmaking ability. As incredible as Draymond Green is, he doesn’t make many passes like this one. Not many players do.
But Gordon really flashes his potential on this play. He catches the ball with his back to Terrence Ross, thinks about the shot, but turns to the open shooter instead, and fires a cross-court pass for the open three.
Gordon’s play on the defensive end is overshadowed because he plays with Jonathan Isaac, but Gordon is an exceptional wing defender himself.
Gordon’s defense has been arguably the most consistent part of his game since entering the league. I promise I won’t dig too deep into the minefield that is defensive metrics. Let’s just go to the videotape.
Gordon’s athleticism makes him an ever-important switchable defender. He’s able to guard some of the league’s best guards. On this play, Russell Westbrook tried to go full Westbrook sans James Harden, and Gordon was up to the challenge.
Gordon did as good a job as any player can do against Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time reigning MVP is normally unstoppable around the rim, but Gordon gets the best of him here.
But this defensive sequence from Gordon against Kawhi Leonard is my favorite. Leonard takes the handoff from Patrick Beverley — who sets the first of two hard screens on Gordon — with the second one coming from Ivica Zubac. Gordon gets around both and still contests Leonard enough to force a miss.
