Versatility is Aaron Gordon’s position

Aaron Gordon came into the NBA an unproven bundle of potential. For the Orlando Magic to succeed he must refine his versatility and fill a new role.

Aaron Gordon is the great curiosity of the Orlando Magic lineup. The key to everything they may do and yet the most uncertain piece to the Magic’s puzzle.

For every hair-raising dunk or feat of athleticism, there is a moment of uncertainty where Gordon looks clearly out of position. There is a moment where he struggles to drive into traffic or looks overpowered in the post.

The great mystery of Aaron Gordon remains completely that. His position is undefined and going through a transformation, just as much as his game will have to with the new opportunity in front of him.

Gordon will play a lot more small forward than he has to this point in his career — it is about a 50/50 split between the two forward positions two years in.

And Gordon’s early season injury is not doing much to refine that position either. The sprained ankle that has cost Gordon virtually the entire first week of training camp has kept him under wraps. It seems likely he will be ready to make his debut — at small forward — against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

The Magic though intend to use Gordon and all his varying skills to their fullest. His position is not at either forward position. His position is really at both and however the Magic need to use him.

Or, rather, it needs to be for the Magic to find success this season.

However the Magic unlock Gordon, they need to unlock him in a meaningful way. His versatility to play big or small is critical to the Magic’s defensive plans. As critical as Serge Ibaka or Bismack Biyombo‘s ability to switch onto the perimeter.

Increasingly now, positions in the NBA are more fluid than ever before. It seems like a tired storyline, but it seems to become more and more true each year.

And that versatility is exactly how the Magic intend to use him, as Frank Vogel told Adi Joseph of The Sporting News last week:

"“I think positions still matter in today’s NBA. But he’s comfortable playing both. You’re correct in your assessment that he’s going to be playing mostly small forward on this team. That’s something I’m excited about because I’ve always been able to build some really solid defenses, and the foundation of those teams was defensive length and athleticism. This is what we’re going to have with this club, with either Vuc or Bismack Biyombo at the five and Serge Ibaka at the four and Aaron Gordon at the three, you’ve got a really long, athletic front court, which I think is necessary if you want to be a great defensive team.”"

Positions increasingly do not matter and increasingly players with Gordon’s versatility are becoming valuable. What Gordon has to do though is grow his game to fit whatever it is the Magic need him to do.

Vogel said during the offseason — and again in Joseph’s Q&A — Gordon will see more time on the ball as a playmaker in the pick and roll. That is not a play Gordon has much experience in so far in his career. Gordon had fewer than 10 possessions as the ball handler in pick and rolls last year according to NBA.com.

On drives, last year, Gordon shot 44.2 percent on 1.6 drives per game. He averaged 1.3 points per game on drives last year, according to NBA.com. His 1.02 dribbles per touch from last year are in the middle between the post players (Andrew Nicholson had the most with 0.64 dribbles per touch) and the guards (Evan Fournier at 1.61 dribbles per touch).

Gordon said following his first practice Saturday he is still learning some of the finer points of being a wing in the NBA. Vogel eased him in at the beginning of practice, Gordon said, but soon began challenging him and throwing a lot more on him.

Now that Gordon is back in the fold, watching how he develops as a wing will take up the rest of the preseason.

It is hard to know what to expect from Gordon as he is moved to the perimeter and given more freedom to attack. In all reality it is still too difficult to predict what Gordon will give the Magic when he makes his first on-court appearance.

Judging by the improvements he made before Summer League last year (and the jaw injury that halted that growth), Gordon could very well become the attacking, pull-up shooting athletic, long wunderkind the Magic believed they were drafting two years ago.

Gordon does not fit traditional positions. That has made him hard to place. In another lifetime, he might be a tweener without a discernible skill as he bounced between one box and another.

He may still be that. The Magic are trying to have their cake and eat it too in some way. They are trying to get the most out of Gordon — both his perimeter defensive skills and his athleticism around the basket. Gordon will have to define his skills.

All the talk about Gordon’s versatility and where he fits will come to a head this season.

Then again, the Magic are banking on extreme versatility to make their defense go. Their bigs should be able to rotate and switch with just about every screen. That makes Gordon extremely valuable.

Gordon becomes the key to making that all go. It is fair to say the Magic are relying heavily on Gordon to unlock that versatility and make his own position within the defense and the offense.

“Who knows [where my game can grow],” Gordon said after his first practice this season. “I’m just going to stay focused on myself and be present every day. Play the game with joy and play the game with love and see where that takes me. What other people’s opinions of me are doesn’t really matter to me just my teammates and my coaches.”

Next: Fastbreak Breakfast: Orlando Magic search for identity

If there is one truth about Gordon, the sky is the limit for him. Everyone is excited to see just what he can become.