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Aaron Gordon just misses The Step Back’s 25-Under-25 List

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic grabs the rebound against the Indiana Pacers on February 21, 2016 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic grabs the rebound against the Indiana Pacers on February 21, 2016 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Step Back is releasing its top 25 players younger than 25 years old this week. But Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon just missed the list.

If Aaron Gordon needs any further motivation (finally) to have his breakout season, the Step Back may have just given it to him.

Gordon, who was one of the noted snubs from Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 list, finished 27th in The Step Back’s 25-Under-25 ranking of the best players 25 years and younger. The Step Back’s panel of voters, including myself, did not view the now-22-year-old forward as one of the most impactful young players in the league.

The panel of 20 voters rated each player expected to play in the NBA younger than 25 years old based on the impact they are likely to make in the 2017-18 season. These rankings were not a prediction of who will turn out the best of these players but who will make the biggest impact in 2018.

That standard probably leads to much of the confusion with Gordon. It is less the panel believes Gordon will be a poor player, but that it is difficult to predict his production this year.

After all, Gordon averaged only 12.7 points per game last year. And he has never really galvanized or pushed his talent to a consistently productive end. His 16.4 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game after the All-Star Break happened largely in anonymity. Nobody knows how much to believe in it.

Much of the Orlando Magic’s season happened in anonymity. No one is expecting the Magic to take that next step up this season. Or no one is willing to bet too much on it. And that means no one is quite ready to invest or bet much on Gordon.

Gordon still has a ton of potential, he still comes in at No. 27 after all. And that is shown in the voting results. The 20-voter panel rated Gordon as high as 8 (myself included) and as low as 3 on a scale of 1-10 for his impact this year. Most voters rated him a 6, 7 or 8.

However the voters characterized their vote or whatever reasons they had for assigning their votes, it suggests they view Gordon as a solid role player. Perhaps bordering on taking on more scoring and more responsibility this coming year. There is a bit of trepidation.

That trepidation is certainly warranted. Gordon has not proven what he can be in his first three years. As I wrote for The Step Back in evaluating Gordon’s ranking this coming season, Gordon’s career has never really gotten started:

"Aaron Gordon’s career has been one of uncertainty and false starts. The Orlando Magic wanted the versatility Gordon could bring, but could never figure out the right way to use him. And then Gordon never seemed to be healthy enough to give the Magic information on whether all their ideas would work."

Indeed, Gordon this year seems set to go through his first healthy summer as a NBA player. He could go through his first healthy training camp since his rookie year. Not to mention he will have the stability of having the same coach for consecutive years the first time in his career.

That instability though informs a lot of the uncertainty about his upcoming season. The Magic, as a team, will rely on Gordon even more than ever before.

Gordon, himself, is entering a contract year as he becomes set to become a restricted free agency at the end of the season. And the Magic are hoping to see him take the next step in his career. That will inform a lot of their future too.

The voters, for now, are not ready to invest in that. Thus, Gordon fell short of the top 25-under-25 in the NBA. Another snub for Gordon.

But he is not alone.

Elfrid Payton finished 42nd in the poll, Jonathan Isaac 51st and Mario Hezonja finished 106th.

The thing this makes clear is the Magic have to continue to improve their young talent. And that certainly means getting more out of the young players already on their roster.

Next: Orlando Magic's cap situation shows why team needs to win

And that all starts with Gordon. He can certainly outperform this preseason ranking. If he does not, it could mean another long season for the Magic.