2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Aaron Gordon

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Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA,PA – FEBRUARY 24 : Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic grabs the rebound against Philadelphia 76ers during game at the Wells Fargo Center on February 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Rediscovering defense

There was a time in Aaron Gordon’s young development that everyone thought his offense would be the bonus. It was his defense that would turn him into an elite NBA player. In fact, P3 had measured Gordon with the fastest muscle response to lateral quickness of any player they had measured.

It was something they said was a sign of his defensive potential.

If there was one area where the Magic’s experiment with Gordon at small forward worked, it was that he was an extremely good perimeter defender. He was disciplined enough to shut down James Harden and was the guy the Magic trusted on the best player on the other team.

And considering the Magic’s desire to put a fully switching defensive team on the court, Gordon seems to fit that to a tee. What he lacks in the otherworldly length of Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba, he makes up for in his athleticism.

Gordon is a great defender.

The problem was that he did not always show it last year. And Gordon admitted his defense seemed to slip a bit as he focused more on his offensive output.

Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

Statistically, he was still largely fine defensively. He had a 0.0 defensive box plus-minus, according to Basketball-Reference (an improvement from his 2017 season). The Magic’s 107.1 defensive rating with Gordon on the floor was among the worst on the team — then again, so were most of the team’s starters.

It is hard to point to any defensive impact Gordon made last year. It was the first time he did not have a clear defensive impact on the team.

Going in Gordon’s favor is that he was one of the very best defenders of post-up plays in the entire league.

According to NBA.com’s Player Tracking statistics, Gordon gave up just 0.44 points per possession on post ups, placing him in the 97th percentile. He was quietly one of the best post defenders in the entire league last year.

But what used to be Gordon’s calling card became a secondary skill last year. And while the Magic still need Gordon to score, a big part of his development will be his re-emergence as a defensive player.

Aaron Gordon, for his part, thinks the Magic’s new players and Steve Clifford’s defensive system will be able to allow him to be more aggressive defensively. Having the security blanket of Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba behind him should help the team cover mistakes defensively better. And that might allow Gordon to be a bit more aggressive defensively.

How much better Gordon can play defensively will go a long way to determining what he can bring to the team this year and beyond.