Aaron Gordon putting NBA on notice

Orlando Magic power forward Aaron Gordon has awakened the league to his ultimately sky-high ceiling.

It may be the product of a hype train.

Hype trains start all the time, and the NBA Slam Dunk contest is a typical launching pad for many mediocre players into national recognition. Harold Miner and Nate Robinson both had short and forgettable careers despite being stars of the event.

But there is a sense it is far different with Gordon. The reality is he is a legitimate talent who only heightened league-wide curiosity when he bounded over STUFF as though on some invisible trampoline.

After all, Gordon was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

His talent is more transferrable than any of those high-flying guards, though, and his defensive contributions have to rank atop the list of NBA power forwards.

This is a guy who is still just 20 years old.

Gordon is a vital cog, and arguably the best player on Orlando’s roster. He may not be yet, but based on his two-way impact it is hard to say there is any more promising player on the Magic’s roster.

In his last nine games, Gordon is averaging 13.7 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game in 29.3 minutes per game. His statistics are growing alongside his playing time. And his confidence. Gordon’s career high entering the season was 19 points, he has scored at least 17 points four times in the last nine games, eclipsing 20 points twice including Monday’s 20-point, 16-rebound game performance against the Golden State Warriors.

All this from a player whose offense is still supposedly developing still.

Live Feed

Nugg Love

Gordon is a blue chip. He is that five-star prospect that has blossomed into a starter in a matter of months. His offense is now slowed down, controlled and utterly unstoppable when he is focused on getting to the rim. Gordon still largely plays with himself, but hints remain that he can be a bit more with continued development.

Gordon has evolved simply by allowing the game to come to him, and that is one of the marks of a guy who “gets it.” He knows how to do the things his teammates are not doing, whether that is rebounding or going crazy after 50/50 balls. Hustle can keep teams in games when everything else goes awry.

Once again, we reference Rob Hennigan’s superb drafting ability. Whether or not No. 10 overall pick Elfrid Payton pans out or not, Gordon appears to be a home run given the options available. The fact that Gordon can potentially be better than No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker puts in perspective how well diamond mining can be done when it comes to evaluating talents like Gordon’s.

Nothing is finished with Gordon. There is still some cleaning to do and sharpening around the edges that will have to occur this summer and beyond.

What is most telling about Gordon is he fits the eye test of any rational observer: He is a premier talent capable of taking over games with his athleticism.

And perhaps the scariest part is we know we have all seen only the tip of a proverbial massive iceberg. Gordon has so much more, and is capable of extending his high energy levels over bigger intervals of time, particularly now since he is starting.

The future has come now for Gordon, and the dunk contest merely put the NBA on notice. People are now realizing when the Magic come on League Pass the potential is there every play for Gordon to make someone the subject of a nasty Vine.

We may have suspected it would come to this point. Gordon’s jump shot has always looked fluid and sound, and it is coming around to be a threat. He is not afraid to launch threes, and a fearless average shooter is more dangerous than a guy constantly second guessing himself.

Gordon’s energetic dunk above put Orlando on a massive run to get back in the game, as he brought the energy to keep Orlando’s small lineup in the game. Gordon saw time at center and forced Steve Kerr to re-insert Andrew Bogut and abandon its typically small fourth quarter lineups. Gordon actually altered the Warriors strategy. Think on that.

Perhaps that is what is most noticeable about Gordon, too. He trusts his abilities to a supreme degree, but now that he has now found his niche, that is a less pronounced fault. Gordon still tries to do things with the ball that do not always work, but overall he has a good sense of how to put the ball in the bucket.

And he is a pest on the offensive boards, as he should be with his implausibly high vertical leap. When even gravity cannot slow Gordon, who else could?

Will Gordon be dominant? The chance is there. And his revelatory pursuits of consistent double-doubles has proven he is a starting-caliber power forward.

We wondered how the Magic would solve their issues at the 4-spot, but Gordon emerged as the strong candidate to do so.

Next: Orlando Magic Must Groom Gordon into a Lock Down Defender

Gordon’s current play has further substantiated it, and the NBA is fully awake to the Arizona Wildcat’s potential to turn the balance more in Orlando’s favor. He has arrived, and now he will proceed to thrive.

All the signs are there.