It should come as no great shock to anybody at this point, but the Orlando Magic‘s season is already over. A run of 11 losses in the last 13 games, thanks in large part to the long-term injury of Markelle Fultz, derailing what looked to be a promising season. Make no mistake, this one really hurts.
While fans try and console themselves with the prospect of another high lottery pick, which hasn’t always worked out for them in recent years, there is still plenty of basketball to be played. Which can feel like a slog when the losses are coming thick and fast, but was actually a chance for a couple of guys to once again prove their worth.
None more so than Aaron Gordon, who in his seventh season had once again been playing exactly like he had in the past. Some nice moments, some moments of not realizing he’s on the court, and then an explosive highlight on one end of the court to get you excited again.
Gordon had even seen his role change in that he was being used as a “point-forward” for the Orlando Magic, and it was yielding some interesting results. More of the ball in his hand meant Gordon having more of an influence on a game which if nothing else was, something. But then Kyle Lowry of the Toronto (Tampa Bay?) Raptors showed up, and now we are left wondering.
When will Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic catch a break?
This was meant to be his moment to assume more control over what the Magic were doing on the court than ever before. Instead, a badly rolled ankle as a result of some questionable play from Lowry means he too is set to miss some time. Losing is bad enough, but doing so while not seeing any tangible growth from your core is even tougher.
Which is a position Gordon is still, depressingly, in. He is a player who needs all the time and touches on the court that he can get in order to show the organization that he can be a key piece of their future. One that has been put on ice as a result of both Fultz and Jonathan Isaac tearing their ACLs, but which will return.
Even before the injury, Gordon hadn’t exactly been putting the league on notice to start the season. Averages of 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds, while helpful to the team, came in below career highs. There’s a lot more to basketball than the basic numbers, but for a long time now Gordon has looked like he had all the tools to improve on these numbers significantly but never has.
Defensively it is a different story, and that is where he will be missed the most now that he is gone. Despite entering the league as a flashy dunker, it has been on the defensive end where Gordon has quietly made a name for himself. Head coach Steve Clifford, himself a top defensive coach, trusts Gordon completely on that end.
As a result of his frame and ability to move quickly, he routinely defends an opponent’s best wing player, and sometimes guard. This is a thankless task and one which the roster is really going to miss now that he is out for four-six weeks. So not only can Gordon not catch a break, what he was able to do well, and which a lot of people overlooked, won’t be praised properly now either.
It is clear at this point that big changes seem to be on the horizon for the franchise. Their core has taken them as far as they can go, and although the likes of Vucevic may not be moved, Evan Fournier is an unrestricted free agent this season. Swingman Terrence Ross has the kind of game that contenders will part with young players or picks for.
Gordon’s name is one that has been in trade rumors for years now, and here was an opportunity to show to everybody that the Magic would be foolish to let him go. To get more touches than ever before, create for his teammates (which he was attempting to do admirably with the ball in hand more), and generally improve his stock both in Orlando and around the league.
The holes in the roster were gaping, ready for Gordon to finally, finally assume control in the way Magic fans have hoped he would for a long time. Even as the second-best player behind Vucevic, just showing enough so that when Isaac and Fultz return, combined with whatever draft pick they take this coming offseason, that there would be a lot to like about this team.
That was only a month ago, even if Gordon was operating as he so often has as a more unheralded member of that group which surprised many to start the season. His career hasn’t exactly been cursed from the get-go, but the unfortunate timings of his injuries, as well as his inability to win the Slam Dunk contest when he should have by now, seems more than unlucky.
This setback is the latest in a growing line for Gordon and the Orlando Magic, and if he is to even be a complimentary player next to the young core in the coming seasons, then these ill-timed runs of bad luck need to stop.