Everyone knew about Aaron Gordon's athleticism and dunking ability before he arrived in the NBA.
That was the biggest thing that stood out about Gordon coming out of Arizona when the Orlando Magic made him the fourth pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Gordon arrived in Orlando promising to make his mark on defense. He said he wanted to win Defensive Player of the Year more than any award.
Gordon never quite found his footing in Orlando. Early injuries in his career slowed his development. He showed the potential to be a primary scorer with some gaudy stat lines.
But without consistent coaching -- his third coach, Frank Vogel, was the one who tried comparing him to Paul George and turned the offense over to him -- and an unstable rebuild situation with young players fighting for their place, things never clicked.
Gordon was just a dunker and a bundle of athletic potential.
The 2021 trade to the Denver Nuggets not only helped kickstart the Orlando Magic's rebuild -- sending Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and the No. 25 pick in the 2025 Draft to Orlando -- it also put Gordon on a championship-level team. It clarified his role and allowed him to be his best.
He was key to the Nuggets' championship team in 2023, when he averaged a career-high 16.3 points per game.
Still, that was as a role player, living in the dunker spot and taking advantage of Nikola Jokic's passes and gravity. He was never meant to be the hero.
It is safe to say he has found his home. It is safe to say he has found his groove. Whether Magic fans are happy to finally see the actualized version of Gordon or not may be up for debate. But Gordon has found the place to maximize the talent the Magic always saw in him.
Gordon found the best version of himself. And now the confidence to be hero.
It would have been an incredible postseason if things ended with Gordon's game-winning dunk off a Jokic airball to win Game 4. That proved a decisive moment in a seven-game series that the Nuggets won running away on Sunday.
In Game 1 against the vaunted Oklahoma City Thunder, Gordon did something even more special.
To complete a wild Denver comeback, Gordon hit a transition three with less than three seconds left. The kind of shot Gordon struggled with so much in his time in Orlando. The kind of shot the Magic's development brass always believed Gordon could make.
He made it in the biggest moment, giving the Nuggets homecourt advantage and a Game 1 upset.
Gordon finished Game 1 with 22 points and 14 rebounds. He made three of his six 3-pointers in the game.
That has been the way Gordon has played in the massive spacing in Denver since his arrival. This year, he made 43.6 percent of his 3-pointers, his first time shooting better than 40 percent from three. It is a far cry from the 32.3 percent 3-point shooting he had in seven years with Orlando.
Gordon's three-point shooting was one of his biggest weaknesses in the draft process. It was the skill Orlando was so desperate to develop in him to unlock him as a future All-Star. Gordon topped out at 37.5 percent from three in 2021 before the trade to Denver. In a full season with Orlando, his best season was 34.9 percent during the 2019 breakthrough season.
Orlando always had to rely on Gordon as a main creator. Or the team wanted him to be that. He never quite took on the role.
Unfortunately for the Magic, Nikola Vucevic is not Nikola Jokic and Evan Fournier is not Jamal Murray.
Gordon arrived in Denver and immediately accepted his role as the team's workhorse. It has been a perfect fit.
There is a reason Nuggets interim coach -- and former Magic assistant coach during Gordon's third year in 2017 -- called Gordon the team's heart and soul. He dug out plenty of big rebounds and plays down the stretch as the Nuggets erased an 11-point deficit in the final minutes of Game 1.
This is who Gordon was always meant to be. Why the Magic could not unlock this in him early in his career is frustrating to think about.
But the former Magic forward has proven himself a hero in this year's Playoffs. He has found the best version of himself.