2016-17 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Aaron Gordon
By Bill Johnson
2018 Outlook
The Magic are a team in flux, so the 2018 outlook is cloudy. Whoever they draft with their lottery pick will become the new franchise focal point. It will be the new management team’s first draft pick, so they will have every opportunity to succeed. Depending on the position of the Magic draft pick, current players may have to go to make room.
Aaron Gordon has a bright future in the NBA. Whether or not it is with the Orlando Magic is another story.
The Magic got a lot of flak for even entertaining the thought of putting Gordon’s name on a white board with free agent and trade targets. Who knows how real that interest is. But no stone can be left unturned in examining this roster.
Looking just at the 2017 season, Gordon did not live up to the lofty expectations.
But he is only 21 years old. He is becoming a complete basketball player, but he needs to play to his strengths. He is strong around the basket, so he needs to play to that strength while the rest of his game develops.
The Magic can help that by playing him at his natural power forward position. That seemed to increase his production and unleash Gordon’s skills more effectively.
Gordon has all of the physical tools to be a major contributor in the NBA. But the physical aspect is just part of the game. Now Gordon has to take those physical attributes and apply them to specific skills.
Through his first three years, he has always improved his game during the offseason. If he does the same this offseason maybe the Magic will see him not just as a long-term building block, but a potential future star.
That will make his contract extension negotiations this summer all the more interesting. Gordon has star potential in him. But the team has yet to see that consistently.