Aaron Gordon’s Defensive Numbers
Aaron Gordon has worked to build a reputation as a superior defender in the NBA.
In the 2019 regular season, he forced opponents to shoot 1.7 percent worse than their season average. He showed even greater defensive potential as the season wore down, setting that figure at 2.9 percent worse in January, 6.3 percent worse in February, and 6.7 percent worse in April.
According to NBA.com, Gordon was 18th in the league in defensive win shares for players who played more than 50 games. The Magic had a decent defensive rating with Gordon on the floor at 105.9 points allowed per 100 possessions. And he held opponents to 44.2 percent shooting.
According to Basketball-Reference, he was in the top quarter of the league in Defensive Box Plus Minus and defensive win shares.
Overall, for the season, Gordon fit the profile of a productive, solid, and improving defender.
Then he got matched up with Kawhi Leonard. And those numbers changed.