Orlando Magic need Aaron Gordon to shake off preseason shooting woes
The Opener
This in spite of his shot selection. Five of Aaron Gordon’s shots came right at the rim. His lone make of those five came in transition on a two-handed dunk off a pass from D.J. Augustin.
His other miss was a slow-mo Euro Step that he short-armed the layup, a drive where he tried to power through Tristan Thompson‘s chest and missed a floater and a drive on Cedi Osman when he got to the rim and overcooked his layup attempt.
All of these were solid attempts. They were moves that showed off his added strength and understanding of how to drive. And to Gordon’s credit, he drew three fouls to get six free throw attempts.
Gordon saw matchup advantages in each case and attacked them. This mindset will prove valuable for Gordon moving forward.
"“I’m just looking to play present and enjoy every moment, take care of every possession,” Gordon said after practice Monday. “That’s how I quantify my own game. When it comes down to it, it’s all about wins and always has been.”"
Gordon has the right mindset that wins are ultimately what matters. Those shots around the basket are the kind of shots the Orlando Magic want him taking.
In Wednesday’s game, Gordon took only three jumpers — making a 3-pointer and missing another and a mid-range jumper. Like the layups Gordon missed, those perimeter shots were open looks the Magic want him taking.
Orlando Magic
But Orlando is also looking for Gordon to be a bigger presence offensively. The team wants to find more players who can create for themselves off the dribble. That is part of the excitement over Markelle Fultz‘s 12-point effort in the opener. But the team is not going to enter the season relying on him.
The Magic need Gordon to step up and help. The team is seemingly bracing for the reality that injuries will hit the team this season. Despite how great their medical staff is, the team is not counting on having everyone play 75-plus games again this season. That informed part of Clifford’s rotation decisions even in the opening game.
And Gordon’s struggles without Nikola Vucevic in the lineup to create offense for himself and others was frustrating. But Steve Clifford said the issue was how others worked to create space for Aaron Gordon in those games.
"“I think one of the issues for him was we didn’t create,” Clifford said after practice Sunday. “In two of the games, it was just that we were playing without so many offensive players on the floor, it was hard for all of them. We didn’t have a lot of ways to put pressure on the defense. He got a lot better quality shots in the Miami game. He played a lot better today.”"
It is tough to win when a team’s best players are not on the floor. Vucevic especially has proven to be vital to the team’s offensive production.
In Wednesday’s game, Gordon played only 6:42 without Vucevic on the floor. In that time, the Magic went +4 and Gordon got to the line for four free throws. He did not take any other field goals. In that stretch in the late first and early second quarters, the Magic shot just 3 for 11.
Markelle Fultz, Aaron Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mohamed Bamba proved to be solid defensively, helping hold the Cleveland Cavaliers to 3-for-15 shooting in that stretch. But it is just one game. And offensive push is still the biggest question mark facing this team.