2020 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Aaron Gordon

What To Look For

Aaron Gordon entered the 2019 season with thoughts that he would develop into the Orlando Magic’s All-Star.

His 2018 season saw him put up some mega scoring games, eclipsing 40 points on multiple occasions and improving his 3-point shooting. Gordon proved he could get hot in a hurry and pour in a lot of points.

But there was an immaturity about his game. He went hunting for his shots and fell in love with trying to isolate. Other parts of his game got neglected.

It was all part of the growing pains for a young player.

A simple directive from coach Steve Clifford changed everything for him. Clifford was seemingly in his ear about becoming a better defender and reawakening his desire to be on the All-Defensive team. That was something a precocious Gordon said was his primary goal when he was introduced as a rookie.

That definitely slipped as he focused more on his offense and got shifted around the perimeter and unsettled in his role. Regaining pride and focus on his defensive abilities enabled him to become one of the Magic’s most important players.

Gordon spent last year trying to fit in offensively, it seemed. He focused on his defense and his efficiency. He worked hard to get rid of some of the isolation play and forced shots that would slow down the offense and lower his shooting percentages. He facilitated more and worked as a distractor on cuts and slashing to the basket.

Gordon was extremely disciplined on that front. If there was any reason to be disappointed in him, it was his decrease in scoring and how he seemed to take a back seat to the offense. He never truly took over any games or had the scoring outbursts that got so many excited in 2018.

That was partly by design though. And Gordon did a lot of other little things defensively and offensively to more than makeup for it.

He averaged a career-high 3.7 assists per game, increasing his assist average by nearly 1.5 assists per game. That is a big jump. He was smarter on the ball with his decisionmaking and it showed.

This summer, Gordon said he wanted to work on his post-game. Adding better understanding as a pick-and-roll ball-handler will go a long way for Gordon too. There are still plenty of ways for the now-24-year-old Gordon to expand his game.

The Magic will need him to take that next step as a scorer and playmaker. They will need him to be an ace defender, anchoring one of the best defenses in the league on the perimeter.

He has to find the middle ground offensively between searching for his own and blending into the offensive schemes. Learning this middle ground is part of growing and maturing as a player.

Gordon figures to be as vital a player as any other on the roster. And his growth could be the difference between merely competing for a playoff spot and competing for homecourt advantage.