AG's 13-15 FG Shooting Performance - Flash in the pan or Flash of the future?

[Instincts]

AG's 13-15 FG - 5-5 3pt vs Suns

I realize AG is a divisive topic on this board, but with that aside, it is an interesting exercise to examine and recognize the rarity of a shooting performance of a young player like the one that occurred against the Suns. How does this 13-15 shooting outburst compare historically to other players /young players? What does this game forecast, if anything, for AG's future shooting and career improvement?

I realize AG has had battled shooting inconsistency and efficiency and that has been well documented. There is certainly a chance that this outburst is just another ebb and flow. In particular I would like to focus on the efficiency of the 13-15 game and believe it is worthwhile to compare this performance against other players. For this conversation I have choose two players from different ends of the spectrum. Player one, Shawn Marion who AG is often compared too and was choose for that reason. Player two, is Kyle Korver, who is generally regarded as one of the better shooters of all time and was choosen due him being the standard for a spot up / off ball shooter.

For simplicity sake I selected Shawn Marion and Kyle Korvers best shooting game (highest FG%) from there 24 year old seasons. See below.

Shawn Marion
4-9-2003 Pho vs Dal (game 78) 13-19 FG (.684%) and 3-4 3pt (.750%)

Kyle Korver
12-10-2005 Phi vs NJN (game 21) 10-11 FG (.909%) and 5-6 3pt (.833%)

Aaron Gordon
12-4-2019 Orl vs Pho (game 18) 13-15 FG (.867%) and 5-5 3pt (100%)

Due to AG starting the year shooting poorly the common narrative is AG is simply back to his inconsistent shooting and they could prove true, but due to this outburst we need to at least consider that other factors may have effected the shooting slump and thus were concealing a narrative that AG shot is continuing to improve. So what has changed?

1) AG's continual progress and work on his jumpshot
2) AG's latest current offseason - minor adjustments to a more compact and repeatable shooting form
3) Founiers garnering defensive attention
4) Fultz playmaking - inside outplay
5) AG's preseason injury and ankle turn

With all that said, I believe AG has improved as a shooter, the form looks textbook and repeatable.

AG outside shots vs the Suns, granted he was open on the majority due to the attention garnered by Fournier and Fultz, but those shots were flush, dead nuts, back of the iron type of shots. I say this is a flash of things to come from AG. What do you say?

AG is quickly up to .333% 3pt on the year, even with the slow start due to injury, I believe he surpasses the league average this year and makes a run for 55% TS% that we have discussed as a goal for AG. It would take quite a run from here after the slow start, but this outburst just may very well be the beginning. What do you say?

[NavalAviator94]

AG hasn’t been consistent his entire time in the NBA. I think that answers your question from my perspective.


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[fklt]

man we became a parody of ourselves as a board. same people, same tired arguments and posts, year after year.

[fendilim]

Amazing thread, you never cease to amaze me.

Nothing, he was just feeling it tonight. Just like Fournier was in the 33-point performance.

The criticisms this year is actually not AG's shooting per se, but rather his scoring, which are two different things. AG is trying to do so much, trying to create his own shots, when it clearly isn't his strength. His percentages last year were really high because he bought in the system, played his role and his strengths.

Just look at this shot chart from the game you are referring to.

https://stats.nba.com/player/203932/shots-dash/?Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&DateTo=12%2F07%2F2019&DateFrom=12%2F04%2F2019

He was actually perfect when he didn't dribble or the ball was shot within two seconds from receiving the ball, which is like 9 out of the 15 shots he attempted.

[drsd]

Gordon had an OK first quarter, and then went to God mode.

Is that sustainable: No.


..

[Bensational]

I've been as big a supporter of AG as you'll find, but I don't even believe that game is replicable beyond a few more flukes in his career.

But as others have said, if he picks his shots and limits them to open spot up shots then he should be able to improve his efficiency.

I don't know what he can do about his midrange jumpers and the fadeaways other than improve them. If he removes them entirely from his repertoire then defenders will know to play for passing lanes if he ever drives. Minimising that business would be best, but we should make the most of his gravity around the rim somehow still. Whether that's more or a traditional post up just to pass out role like Vuc has done in the past or something else, I'm not sure.

He definitely looked more poised in that Phoenix game, and knew he had the mismatch on Cameron, so I'm glad he worked that. He just needs to learn when he does or doesn't have that mismatch, and when not to force it if he doesn't.

I think he's simmering down on his aggressiveness though. He's definitely handing off for Fultz or Fournier to run point a lot more. Cliff seems to have helped the guys find the new balance.

[Last Guardian]

He's physically probably the best specimen, or second to Lebron. He will dominate a game here and there because of that. His IQ just holds him back, can't see that drastically changing.

[j-ragg]

He played a great game. Not a great player though, so it's unfair to expect that very often. This will divulge into an AG hate thread though which sucks because it got started due to him having one of the best games of his career.

[PrimeThyme]

Can it be both? It's a flash in the pan in the sense that he probably won't ever have this efficient of a shooting night again but I liked his shot selection and think he has been coming out of his slump as of late so I think he is going to be much better then he was at the beginning of the season for us going forward.

[JF5]

He's been been terrible up until the last few games he was due... If he just focused on being a 3 and D guy he'd be alot better imo. Because the shots he took weren't bad shots for the last few games. He keeps doing that he'll be fine.

[MagicStarwipe]

He needs to pick a shooting form and stick with it. His form changes all the time. Hopefully he realises what he was doing in this game that was different (releasing the ball on the way up rather than at the top of his jump) and sticks with it.

[ezzzp]

Read on Twitter

With the emergence of Fultz, a stable 3-D/opportunistic scorer is what this team needs Gordon to be. Unfortunately, he wants to be the primary ball handler any time he touches the ball...which is ineffective and grinds down the offense, and it has been for several years.

[pepe1991]

During 17-18 he scored
41 points
40 points
39 points

Years later it never defined him.

It's regular nba season. Every starter has nights where he is lit as hell. If you wanna proof, look at Rockets- Raptors game from day ago, leading scorer on both team was non other than... Ben McLemore . Guy made 8 out of 17 threes.

[OrlandoNed]

Honestly neither. I saw it more as him breaking out of his early season and post-injury slump.

[Anti Chalmers]

He’s inconsistent. One game he’ll give you 25, the next game, 10. This is who he is.

[VFX]

Why not just bump the thread made in preseason claiming he was absolutely going to be an allstar? Oh yeah....

Anybody that’s watched AG can tell you he’s going to have a stretch of games where he struggles. This has been pretty standard, unless for the first time in his career he’s figured it out. Probably not likely.

[Knightro]

Aaron Gordon is and forever will be fool's gold.

He's a solid, above average player when he focuses on his strengths and a below average player when he does not.

Ultimately, to his own detriment, I just don't believe he's ever going to fully embrace what he can and can't do. He just wants to dribble and shoot beyond his capabilities.

[Rainwater]

Typical AG doing AG things. He has always been inconsistent I don't know why that suddenly would change now.

[MoMM]

Read on Twitter

With the emergence of Fultz, a stable 3-D/opportunistic scorer is what this team needs Gordon to be. Unfortunately, he wants to be the primary ball handler any time he touches the ball...which is ineffective and grinds down the offense, and it has been for several years.

Imagine if we had a stable guy like Klay

[tiderulz]

He's physically probably the best specimen, or second to Lebron. He will dominate a game here and there because of that. His IQ just holds him back, can't see that drastically changing.

I actually think he put on too much muscle. needs to slim down a little