Orlando Magic Playbook: Aaron Gordon’s defense on Kawhi Leonard wasn’t enough

The Leonard train coming

The short version: Kawhi Leonard wrecked the Orlando Magic.

For the season, Leonard put up 26.6 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting, 37.1 percent 3-point shooting and 85.4 percent free throw shooting. He was a complete player too, adding 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.0 turnovers per game.

Against Orlando in the first round, he elevated his scoring efficiency: 27.8 points on 55.6 percent shooting, 53.8 percent 3-point shooting and 89.3 percent shooting from the foul line. He added 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.8 turnovers per game too.

And it did not matter what kind of defense Aaron Gordon or the Magic played on him.

This Game 5 clip shows Gordon ably sticking with Leonard on a pull-up from a baseline iso play. It’s likely easier, though, to contest here than it is to keep track of the array of moves Leonard deploys when going all the way to the cup, though. Still, you can’t fault Gordon – he played good D here.

This troubling trend held when considering the advanced numbers too.

According to NBA.com, the Toronto Raptors’ offensive rating with Leonard on the floor improved from 115.6 points per 100 possessions in the regular season to 122.6 points per 100 possessions against the Orlando Magic in the first round. His true shooting percentage went from 60.6 percent to 67.9 percent and his team’s net rating with him on the floor jumped from 7.9 to a whopping 28.0.

Plain and simple, Orlando’s starters struggled throughout that series and Leonard was a big reason why they were able to feast on Orlando’s once-vaunted defense.