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Aaron Gordon should be the Orlando Magic’s primary defender

By Spencer R. Henderson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Dario Saric #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a lay up against Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Magic 130-111. 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Dario Saric #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a lay up against Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Magic 130-111. 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic need to find a way to maximize its defensive potential by putting Aaron Gordon on the opponent’s best player. 

The Orlando Magic started this season off as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Now they sit in a more familiar position — near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The team’s offense has predictably come back down to earth. But the bigger concern remains the team’s defense. A group that started off strong defensively has been one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Magic are currently rated 23rd in the league in defensive rating but 29th in the last 15 games.

The team seems to be trending back in the right direction. The Magic just need to tweak a couple of things to start a winning streak and get back in a position to put the entire league on notice.

And that starts with Aaron Gordon. And more specifically, how the Magic use him.

The Magic can begin to unlock their and Gordon’s defensive potential by switching to the opposing team’s biggest offensive threat. Once that switch is made, the Magic will be able to contain opponents’ scoring ability by applying suffocating defense with great length and athleticism.

And he has gained experience playing against some of the best players in the NBA, whether it is defending Dirk Nowitzki on a last-second shot or defending James Harden and LeBron James.

If anything, Gordon’s move to power forward this year has stunted some of his defensive growth. His defensive box plus minus is just 0.3, so he is still above average. According to ESPN.com’s defensive real plus-minus, Gordon measures out at -1.25. That is well below average and in the bottom half of the league.

The Magic have not found a way to employ him effectively or consistently against these stars on defense.

When he has though, he has looked engaged and dominant. With Victor Oladipo hitting his first 11 shots in the Orlando Magic’s loss to the Indiana Pacers a few weeks ago, Aaron Gordon switched onto him and started causing misses.

Even against the faster Oladipo, Gordon’s length and athleticism made him a terror. It forced Oladipo into his only three misses that game.

Gordon had four blocks in that game, showing his vast rim-protecting potential. It was Gordon unleashed on the defensive end, engaged completely with the challenge of guarding the best player on the other team.

Gordon is one of the most respected defenders in the NBA. He is a rare commodity in the league who can guard all five positions, like LeBron James. He can guard the perimeter at an elite level and although no one will confuse him with an elite rim protector, he does pretty well to protect the basket when called upon.

This season Gordon is only allowing opponents to shoot 43.7 defensive field goal percentage which is a nice start. But he still has room for improvement. He is only allowing 4.7 field goals per game when opponents face him, which is a good sign to put him on the opponent’s best player.

Gordon has always been better defensively than offensively. But he is having a career year offensively averaging 18.4 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. His offensive game still needs improvement. But this is a good time to try to maximize his defensive potential with the onslaught of defenders on the roster.

Coach Frank Vogel has a decision to make. If the Magic are going to be anything this year, it will be up to Vogel to put the right players in the right spots, especially Gordon.

Moving Gordon around to defend the opponent’s best player is the first chess move Vogel needs to make. Gordon’s success will influence the rest of the moves the Magic have to make. It is becoming clearer Gordon is a big part of the team’s future.

This move would only be a start to fulfill this group’s defensive potential. But it could easily turn into a snowball effect if properly executed.

There are some lineup considerations to consider. Adding Jonathan Isaac back to the fold will go a long way to giving the Magic the defensive flexibility to use Gordon in multiple areas. Eventually Jonathan Isaac’s presence may open things up even more for Gordon.

In limited minutes, the Magic have a 97.3 defensive rating in 53 minutes together. That lineup has shown a lot of the potential flexibility the team envisioned.

Switching Gordon to the team’s best player automatically means the opponent will have one of the NBA’s toughest defenders on them from tipoff to the final buzzer.

Gordon can slow down almost any player he faces on the court, allowing the team to become a more solid defensive team that will not have to double team as much.

Gordon is averaging 6.7 defensive rebounds per game, 1.1 steals per game and 0.9 blocks per game. Not bad, but he could improve on those stats if put in the right defensive position.

Next: Orlando Magic still struggle to get to the foul line

Moving Gordon should be an easy fix to a team with this many defensive weapons. Vogel needs to unlock the full potential of the roster, by any means necessary.