The Big Question: What is Aaron Gordon?
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon remains the biggest mystery on the roster. For the Orlando Magic to succeed, they need to answer his riddle.
When the Orlando Magic selected Aaron Gordon with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Draft, there was some push back. Vocal push back.
Even after the Magic ended up selecting Elfrid Payton (instead of everyone’s expected pick of Dante Exum), the Gordon pick seemed to confuse. The Magic already had bountiful amounts of versatile forwards who did not have any real position. If they were serious about winning, why draft a player who was essentially a blank slate?
The Magic more or less tanked two years for the 2014 Draft — the promise of Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker was a big part of the Magic’s rebuilding plans. When the Magic failed to win the Lottery and fell out of the top three to the fourth pick, it was a blow to the rebuilding plans. All the careful planning came down to a poor bounce from a ping pong ball.
The Magic rebuild though is still centered around that pick. Victor Oladipo might turn into an All Star. Tobias Harris was a great pickup in a trade and could be a star still. Nikola Vucevic could too.
But Aaron Gordon is still the key to everything. He is the blank slate that could fill in pieces that this roster needs to start competing. His progression will determine just how far the Magic go.
We dove deep into the starting lineup and the potential to fill that starting power forward position. There are a number of options to explore. Plenty of directions for the Magic to go.
It seems though that in doing this exercise the answer was clear what needs to happen for the Magic to be productive and make the most of the assets they have collected — Aaron Gordon has to start.
It should not be given to him. He has to earn it. His success or failure could really determine whether the Magic accomplish their goals this season or continue to improve.
Gordon seems more than capable after a stellar Summer League. He was pretty clearly the best player at the Orlando Summer League, averaging 21.7 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game on a 56.3 percent effective field goal percentage. All as the primary option.
Obviously he would not be that on the Magic’s main squad. But the way he scored, hitting 3-pointers and probing and attacking are ways that can translate to the regular season.
The plain fact is nobody is quite sure what Aaron Gordon is still. He played in only 47 games last year and spent most of it trying to get himself back from a mid-season foot injury. Injury is already his story with his broken jaw suffered in July.
That should not stop him from being ready for the regular season. Nor should it reduce his role. And it does not reduce his importance in the long run for the Magic.
Gordon is the Swiss Army Knife. He is the thing that makes this whole Magic puzzle seem to fit. Thanks to his versatility and just boundless potential. He is everything the Magic want to be all wrapped into one player.
And ultimately the team’s success is tied into this one player. It is tied into how much progress he has truly made.
Starting lineup?
Gordon is expected to ascend and fill that seemingly vacant power forward spot. He is a player who does not need the ball to be effective offensively and he can do a lot of the dirty work offensively and defensively. His versatility will allow him to switch with just about any player on the perimeter. His athleticism makes him a perfect fit for a fast-paced offense.
Bench?
Gordon can be the Energizer bunny who mixes things up with either the first or second unit, injecting energy into a second unit and giving the team an edge with a stellar defender and athlete.
There is just so much potential. That is all Gordon has ever been. That is all the Magic have ever been.
To take the next step up to the Playoffs, the Magic need to find a way to define Gordon more — both his role on the team and who he is as a player. That is not easy to do with a player who is just 20 years old and entering his second year (quite possibly his first full year, considering his injuries his rookie season).
Gordon has such limitless potential. But this is not a season of potential. For the Magic, this is a season of definition. This is a season where they define what kind of team they are going to be and whether this whole rebuild Rob Hennigan has undertaken will turn into something.
The same might be said with Gordon, but with less urgency for his individual development (potential still has value).
Orlando wants a lot of things this year. The team has made that clear organization-wide.
In order to get to that place, it is going to take Aaron Gordon finding himself as a player and the Magic sliding him tentatively into a role he can fill successfully for this team.
In 2016, the Magic will need Gordon more than ever to achieve that modest goal to have success.