Orlando Magic need Aaron Gordon to shake off preseason shooting woes

Still Central

The Orlando Magic know creating a more efficient offense is going to be the key to that breakthrough they want. It is worth noting Orlando’s 16-0 run began at the tail end of this stretch without Vucevic on the floor.

Aaron Gordon is still central to all of this. He is getting the shots he and the Magic want attacking the basket.

Wednesday he had maybe one or two possessions where he overdribbled. He seemed to recognize quickly the matchup was not his and worked to keep the ball moving and get others involved. He focused on his defense on Kevin Love.

And the Magic’s offense worked best in the preseason when Gordon was playing this exact way and hitting his shots. He had a dynamite preseason game against the Detroit Pistons, scoring 22 points on 10-for-17 shooting. In that game, he drove straight into defenders and finished at the rim while still fitting into the larger offensive scheme.

When the Magic’s offense is working, it finds Gordon in places where he can score. The Magic just need him to continue being aggressive and continue to attack when the ball finds him.

But to be sure, Gordon’s struggles to shoot, make shots at the rim and stay involved are a larger problem for the Magic. They need offensive weapons and players who can collapse the defense.

Gordon has that potential — he showed that in getting to the basket consistently if haphazardly in the preseason and in Wednesday’s opener. But Orlando will need him to finish to give the offense the boost it needs.