Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Aaron Gordon’s goal is to turn his versatility into a weapon on both ends

By Philip Rossman-Reich

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 09: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic is defended by Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game at Fiserv Forum on February 09, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 09: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic is defended by Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game at Fiserv Forum on February 09, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Aaron Gordon, Cleveland Cavaliers
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 14: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 14, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Working the post

Aaron Gordon’s post-game was a weakness throughout the season that the Magic could not exploit Gordon on switches when they came up.

It was hard to run plays for Gordon specifically into the post becuase he was still so inefficient despite a clear matchup and size advantage. It was just not a relaible play when it clearly should have been one.

Gordon is capable of doing so much, but he is still putting all the pieces together. The post is one area that seemed to be lagging, as he noted.

Last year, Gordon averaged 2.9 post-ups per game, the second-most on the team. But he shot only 40.4 percent on those shots and scored only 1.5 points per game on post-up opportunities. He scored only 0.89 points per possession on those post-up opportunities.

Nikola Vucevic is the only player to average more post-up touches and he put up 0.93 points per possession. It was not like he was that good either. LaMarcus Aldridge led the league scoring 1.04 points per 100 possessions.

Post-ups overall are not the most efficient way to score. So it is something teams should not overly rely on.

But for a player like Gordon, it can be an easy way to get the ball in good scoring position when he gets a matchup advantage. Too often he let smaller players get away with guarding him in the post with over-simplistic moves or his attempt to use only brute force.

It was something he did not take advantage enough of last year.