Expanding back out
Aaron Gordon improving his footwork would help in a lot of other areas in his game too. It can branch out from there.
Better footwork will help him on drives and on defense as much as it will on offense. It would be an added dimension to this game that can teach him to create space in a number of situations.
Ultimately a lot of Gordon’s success still depends on that outside shot.
In 2018, it felt like Gordon made a huge leap when he shot 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. His 3-point shooting, especially early in that season, helped stake him a place as a budding young star and helped him reach 40 points twice.
But he was actually better as a 3-point shooter in 2019, staying more consistent through the course of the season. He made 34.9 percent of his 3-pointers last year.
It is still an area he has to improve but one that he is continuing to make progress on. And that has been the main focus of his offensive improvement.
A lot of Gordon’s offense still came from attacks outside the paint. Gordon was solid as a pull-up and spot-up shooter from beyond the arc. He was fourth on the team with 6.1 drives per game, according to Second Spectrum’s tracking data.
There is still a debate about what his position should be. Most would say he is a power forward. And that is informed from the failed small forward experiment the Magic put him through in 2016.
He was probably not ready or developed enough to play primarily on the perimeter at that time. Turning back to the “power forward” helped unlock his game as he could use his quickness to attack off the dribble.
For sure, Gordon needs to continue gaining confidence working off the dribble and with his outside shot. But focusing on his post-game will unlock that part.
If teams have to worry more about him diving to the post on screens, then they will lay off and he can attack more off the dribble. It is more space he has to operate.
And Gordon with space and a runway to take off is the most dangerous player he can be.