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

By Seth Arora

The Toronto Raptors started their road to the title with a five-game series win over the Orlando Magic. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
The Toronto Raptors started their road to the title with a five-game series win over the Orlando Magic. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic, Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
ORLANDO, FL – DECEMBER 28: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors reach for the rebound during the game against Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic on December 28, 2018 at 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Leonard is Gonna Leonard

During the regular season, Kawhi Leonard took 48.8 percent of his shots under “Very Tight” defensive coverage (defined as having the closest defender 0-2 feet away) or “Tight” defense (2-4 feet).

Under “Very Tight” coverage, he had an effective field goal percentage of 49.2 percent. With “Tight” coverage, under which he took 38 percent of his shots, he went 53.0 percent from the floor with an effective field goal percentage of 55 percent.

All in all, really impressive — they imply that during the regular season, Leonard excelled despite having defenders basically breathing down his neck.

This bears out when you look at how the players we all generally accept as elite fared under similar circumstances:

Player “Very Tight”
Frequency		 “Very Tight”
FG%		 “Very Tight”
eFG%		 “Tight”
Frequency		 “Tight”
FG%		 “Tight”
eFG%
Kawhi Leonard 10.8 49.2 49.2 38 53.8 55
Kevin Durant 6.8 48.9 50 48 51.3 53.6
James Harden 9.2 36.9 38.9 53.4 45.1 52.3
Paul George 8.3 41.4 44 37 47.7 52.4
Stephen Curry 7.4 43.9 46.4 31 48.2 54.8
Giannis Antetokounmpo 19.5 57.6 57.6 45.2 67 67
LeBron James 11.6 53.5 53.5 36.6 57.6 58.5

In the First Round, Leonard was actually better at making well-defended shots than he was in the regular season. Not shown in the table above is that in addition to his prowess when well-defended, he made 91.7 percent of his “Wide Open” shots against Orlando.

Ultimately, when searching for an explanation as to why Gordon’s defensive impact dipped in the first round, you really need to look no further than the fact Leonard was simply a buzzsaw.

He got the shots he wanted and was just better than usual.

To be sure, a disgruntled Orlando Magic fan could look to the Golden State Warriors’ defensive success in the NBA Finals against Leonard as more reason to criticize Gordon.

Against the Warriors, Leonard had to put up 15 percent of his shots under “Very Tight” coverage and 48.7 percent in “Tight” coverage, causing a big drop his shooting percentages.

Matchup-wise, against each of Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard’s efficiency dropped, especially so against Iguodala. Their defense clearly made him uncomfortable and he was not able to do what he normally does on offense.

Context is important, though.

Leonard was hobbled by quad and knee injuries throughout the later rounds of the Playoffs, noticeably limping at different points in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

After they secured the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Kawhi Leonard told Kyle Lowry he was just “limping around” during their euphoric pre-interview with Rachel Nichols:

Thus, maybe Golden State got a bit of the Diet Kawhi defensive assignment, whereas Orlando got World Crusher Kawhi. It seemed that everyone this postseason got Kawhi playing at a supernatural level.