Orlando Magic must groom Aaron Gordon to be a ‘Stopper’
The Orlando Magic have drastically improved their defense, but honing Aaron Gordon to be a designated stopper could make it far better still.
Great teams typically play superb defense. The Orlando Magic are becoming a very formidable defensive team with Scott Skiles leading the way. But there is still a bit of a hole, and it can be filled by one Aaron Gordon.
Gordon has shown tremendous defensive potential, but he has yet to become the defender Orlando can rely on inserting to halt a major outburst.
In individual defense, Gordon excels, but his help-side defense still needs to improve. Often he is so keyed in on his defensive assignment he misses some rotations, or misses a chance to slide over and help a teammate beat off the dribble. Making these strides would decrease the liability he can be at times and allow the team to put the versatile forward in a more featured role, possibly as a starter.
Gordon’s athleticism alone dictates he should be capable of tremendous things on the defensive end. He is capable of blocking shots, getting steals, making plays and being a game changer defensively. What has to be minimized are the mental lapses, and he also has to avoid reaching to pick up silly fouls.
Gordon is still in just his second NBA season, and he missed a lot of time last year with injuries. So to see some “rookie mistakes” still being made is unsurprising.
Even so, before head coach Scott Skiles can rely on him implicitly, he has to demonstrate he can play at critical junctures without the turnovers or fouls that have at times stunted the Magic. Skiles has tried to show confidence in Gordon, but it has not always worked out.
His athleticism alone dictates he can be a great defender, but his anticipation is what will take him to the next level.
When Orlando plays a team with a premier forward it is a great gift to be able to throw one guy at him capable of slowing his drives to the basket, whether that be Blake Griffin or LeBron James.
It is not hard to picture Gordon becoming a lot like Kawhi Leonard. Perhaps that is setting the bar (really) high, but to have a guy capable of frustrating the best in the league would inestimably improve the Magic and allow them to keep to their defensive system. The Magic have had trouble sticking to their defensive system against LeBron James on two occasions now.
Like Leonard, Gordon is a supreme athlete with the strength to matchup with nearly anyone. He is a natural athlete who is still developing both as a man and a player. When asked over the summer about the muscle he added, Gordon simply laughed and coyly said, “I guess I’m just getting older.”
He is getting older. But he is still a ways off from where he can be as a basketball player, and he is developing the natural instincts he already has possessed to become a complete player. It is still just a thing that is in the works.
Eventually, Gordon can become a premier one-on-one defender and an overall good team defender.
The steps necessary are hard to outline, but the fact is he will need one thing more than all others: game experience. Skiles has shown immense confidence in giving Gordon crunch-time minutes such as against the Minnesota Timberwolves when Gordon blocked Andrew Wiggins‘ late-game attempt to steal the win.
Skiles too is no doubt aware of how to help him become the type of forward that is a major asset. Remember, Skiles was the mind behind helping create Shawn Marion and Luol Deng, both of whom became known as premier defenders as forwards very similar to Gordon.
Listening to Skiles and continuing to work will make Gordon into the best player he can be. But the most exciting part may be that with Gordon as an elite defender, the Magic will gain one of the missing components in their rotation.
There is no clear defender from the forward spot capable of shutting down opposing 3s and 4s, but there is every indication Gordon can be that.
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It is just a matter of time, patience and development.