What the first half taught us about the Orlando Magic

Aaron Gordon is not Paul George

Before the season began, Frank Vogel said he intended to use Aaron Gordon similar to how he used Paul George in Indiana. This would mean playing him at the 3 while delegating more ball-handling, playmaking and shot creation duties to the young forward.

It did not take long for him, and pretty much everyone else, to realize that experiment was not working.

Gordon is simply a different player than George. He succeeds more when he gets to play close to the basket, instead of dribbling around the perimeter either to create his own shot or run a pick-and-roll.

Taking a look at the numbers from NBA.com he produced during this stint as a wing player and ball handler, it is clear Gordon needs to be able to take advantage of his athleticism around the rim to contribute offensively.

But this does not necessarily mean he has to play power forward.

Despite playing most of his minutes at small forward, Gordon has been able to showcase his blossoming post game from time to time. Especially when he plays alongside stretchy bigs like Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka, Gordon still is able to get opportunities inside.

Importantly, when he is at the 3 instead of the 4, he often gets to play against smaller defenders.

Here, Gordon is matched up against Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, whom Gordon backs down for an easy hook.

These mismatches have also allowed him opportunities for cuts and putbacks.

With Gordon playing on the wing here, he easily sneaks around Nicolas Batum for a tip-in.

On this play, Gordon blows by the smaller Kyle Korver who has no chance at preventing him from attacking the rim on a cut like this.

He also showed his defensive chops covering James Harden against the Rockets. His length and athleticism allowed him to stifle the MVP candidate on many possessions while his defensive IQ prevented him from getting into foul trouble, a fate that many of Harden’s defenders have suffered when trying to put hands in his face.

All that said, it is still clear this is a suboptimal situation. Gordon is on the wing not because it is his best position, but because his best position is overcrowded. This still shows when he turns the ball over and clanks open jumpers.

Aaron Gordon is Aaron Gordon, not Paul George. They simply have different skills and that is fine. He can succeed at small forward, given that he still gets to play like Aaron Gordon.