Orlando Magic Player Evaluations 2016

Aaron Gordon

Aaron Gordon’s first offseason was going swimmingly with his strong performance at Summer League. Then it all cam crashing down with a broken jaw that still had him out and unable to participate fully when training camp opened.

Gordon’s upward trajectory was dealt a second injurious blow.

When he did finally get his feet under him, Gordon emerged as all the bundle of potential everyone imagined. He got more comfortable as the season went on and he emerged as a rarity — a young player Scott Skiles had complete trust in.

Gordon emerged as a fantastic individual defender and got better offensively too. His shooting improved and he was good at fitting into the offense. Gordon still forced some things on occasion, but a lot of that could come to his youth.

As Sean Guest wrote, the Magic are freeing up room because they know Gordon is coming.

"The trade that saw Orlando send Tobias Harris to Detroit for a rehabbing Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, arguably was made with Gordon in mind. Regardless of whether the Magic end up playing him at the three or the four long-term, Harris’ absence should ultimately result in more playing time for the “tweener” as he continues to develop."

Gordon was one of the few players we gave an A to, receiving an ‘A-‘ for the year. That did not even get into his Dunk Contest performance.

He is the brightest star on the roster and someone the Magic have to nurture and hope can stay healthy this offseason to make the next leap in his career.

Next: The Contract Year