Lowe: 10 Things I Like and Don't Like (Gordon)

[Knightro]

5. Still waiting on Aaron Gordon

Boy, did Gordon need this recent mini-hot streak: 60 points on 23-of-39 shooting over Orlando's last three outings, and a last-second game-winner Monday in Sacramento. It has otherwise been a stilted, disappointing season for Gordon.

I thought this was the year it might finally happen for him. I predicted Gordon would make the All-Star Game.

Instead, Gordon's production on offense has dipped across the board, though he remains engaged on the other end. There are three theoretical Gordons: the player Gordon wants to be; the player Orlando wants him to be; and the player Orlando needs him to be because of their roster construction. The actual Gordon is paralyzed in some sort of existential tension between all three.

The first player -- Gordon's dream for himself -- is a ball-dominant scorer. Orlando indulges that Gordon by calling occasional post-ups for him and giving him some freedom to go rogue. Gordon can make hay against smaller players. He has done well on scripted duck-ins. But too many of his forays into would-be stardom end with bricked fadeaways:

https://gfycat.com/entiregoodnaturedkiskadee

https://gfycat.com/sharpbelatedgull

A player this powerful should not spend so much time spinning away from the hoop. He rarely draws fouls. The Magic have scored 0.826 points per possession anytime Gordon shoots out of a post-up or passes to a teammate who fires right away -- 74th among 96 players who have recorded at least 25 post-ups, per Second Spectrum data. He is not much of an inside-out playmaker. A full 77% of those post-ups have ended with Gordon shooting -- the second highest such rate in that sample.

The best version of Gordon on a good team is something like his take on Draymond Green: screening and rolling as a power forward, spraying passes (Gordon is an underrated playmaker), defending like all hell across every position. The Magic have never put Gordon in optimal position to find that role. They shoehorned him onto the wing next to Serge Ibaka and now Jonathan Isaac.

That is not on its face unworkable. Some of those ultra-big Magic lineups have performed well -- including last season. Talented frontcourt partners render positional designations irrelevant. What position would Gordon play next to, say, Kevin Durant and a traditional center in Brooklyn? Isaac has some blossoming all-around skill on offense.

But Isaac also is very young. Before Isaac's injury, it felt -- from the outside -- Orlando was reaching the point at which it would have to make a final call on Gordon. There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon. Isaac's knee injury may have put off those decisions. The Magic don't have to rush. Gordon is still just 24.

But stasis often becomes untenable.

[Knightro]

The most interesting part of that article is...

"There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon."

[MartinsIzAfraud]

It screams what we all have been saying since we drafted AG. We cannot continue to shoe horn him into an offense revolved around Vuc and EF and mediocre PG's. Thankfully we have Fultz now but goodness we're using like 70% of this dudes capabilities. It's not shocking the dude has some of his best games when one of JI, Vuc, EF are not even on the court. Get him another shooter on the wing and let him and JI screen and move the ball. It also doesn't help cliff has a HS level offensive game plan and we refuse to push the pace most nights.

If this FO keeps EF and then turns around to trade AG then lol

[Knightro]

Obviously a small one-game sample size is nothing to draw conclusions from, but that Lakers game really made me wonder how Gordon would look on a team that stresses pace and transition opportunities while taking away a lot of the thinking AG has to do in this slower, halfcourt based system.

[I Rasharted]

The most interesting part of that article is...

"There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon."

[The Real Dalic]

The most interesting part of that article is...

"There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon."

Lol. But eww, Brie Larson.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

Obviously a small one-game sample size is nothing to draw conclusions from, but that Lakers game really made me wonder how Gordon would look on a team that stresses pace and transition opportunities while taking away a lot of the thinking AG has to do in this slower, halfcourt based system.

part of me feels like Cliff is somewhat holding the development of this team and players back.

[Magic_Johnny12]

A lot of posters are going to be really mad coming in here and realizing Gordon still has great value around the league

[Magic_Johnny12]

The most interesting part of that article is...

"There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon."

Lol. But eww, Brie Larson.

Eww like yuck or eww like yumm? I hope the contrary lol

[zaymon]

We are not using 70 % of Gordons capabilities. Clifford wants to use 90 % of his capabilites but Gordon himself is using 130 %. Clifford likes to give players freedom and until this point Aaron is using it the wrong way. Lets hope last games are indication of change. Aaron must understand he is still a good, entartaining player even without being a star.

[VFX]

People have been saying all of this for years.

AG has value to other teams more than he does for Orlando. He’s a system player and doesn’t make sense in our offense lacking open floor spacing and limited shooting capability.

He occasionally has breakout games when certain players have “down” games. Go figure.

[pepe1991]

Lol. But eww, Brie Larson.

Eww like yuck or eww like yumm? I hope the contrary lol

That's most emotion she ever showed
Wooden actress.
Was solid in Room, looks like she is forced to act in any other role

[pepe1991]

There is some merit to the article but nobody forces Gordon into bad shots. Gordon does that to himself.
Every time you remove leash from him you get trigger happy, unpatient and highjacks offense.

In sense he is like Marcus Smart. You have to "dosage" him on offense in right doses before it becomes harmful.

Smart, ofc, has way lower "dose" but still tends to do 2 good stuff just to force some idiotic threes.

Goes without saying that Gordon is and should play nothing but PF. Something that on Magic will never happen as Isaac emerged as better PF.

As Knightro said, most important part of the article is his value as trade asset.

[j-ragg]

Lol. But eww, Brie Larson.

Eww like yuck or eww like yumm? I hope the contrary lol

That's most emotion she ever showed
Wooden actress.
Was solid in Room, looks like she is forced to act in any other role

I agree. Then when she was criticized just like every other not great actor/actress she had to blame it on white dudes. It's played out at this point. She's incredibly lucky the timing of Captain Marvel was right where Endgame was coming so it could clear a billion. I always liked the Scarlet chick more anyway.

Anywho, I thought Lowe started it out happy for Gordon for stepping up the last few games then he just kinda pointed out hes still been **** on offense all year. I'm kinda nervous for him playing while obviously injured (at least last week) but he looked plenty healthy against Lebron.

[The Real Dalic]

Lol. But eww, Brie Larson.

Eww like yuck or eww like yumm? I hope the contrary lol

Eww as in she's annoying. Lol

Anyway, didn't mean to de-rail the thread and make it about Brie.

[j-ragg]

There is some merit to the article but nobody forces Gordon into bad shots. Gordon does that to himself.
Every time you remove leash from him you get trigger happy, unpatient and highjacks offense.

As a Gordon defender, I hate that he does it. He's at the 3 so much (ugh) here that he should just be posting up and abusing smaller forwards. But he goes to that turn around so much, I vehemently wish he'd use his strength for a little drop step then go up through contact.

This is where a better system would come in but like you said in a normal ideal world, it's on the player to realize it's a bad shot.

[pepe1991]

Eww like yuck or eww like yumm? I hope the contrary lol

That's most emotion she ever showed
Wooden actress.
Was solid in Room, looks like she is forced to act in any other role

I agree. Then when she was criticized just like every other not great actor/actress she had to blame it on white dudes. It's played out at this point. She's incredibly lucky the timing of Captain Marvel was right where Endgame was coming so it could clear a billion. I always liked the Scarlet chick more anyway.

Anywho, I thought Lowe started it out happy for Gordon for stepping up the last few games then he just kinda pointed out hes still been **** on offense all year. I'm kinda nervous for him playing while obviously injured (at least last week) but he looked plenty healthy against Lebron.

Saw on twitter SJW blaming academy for nominating Joker for oscars and how they are bunch of white dudes. Than i figured why i didn't open twitter for like year and half.


As for Gordon, he is from Cali, and it's Lebron. Everybody gets just a little bit more motivation to show off against him.

[The Real Dalic]

There is some merit to the article but nobody forces Gordon into bad shots. Gordon does that to himself.
Every time you remove leash from him you get trigger happy, unpatient and highjacks offense.

As a Gordon defender, I hate that he does it. He's at the 3 so much (ugh) here that he should just be posting up and abusing smaller forwards. But he goes to that turn around so much, I vehemently wish he'd use his strength for a little drop step then go up through contact.

This is where a better system would come in but like you said in a normal ideal world, it's on the player to realize it's a bad shot.

The AG in the LA game is the one I want to see every game. Use your athleticism and strength and relentessly attack the basket non-stop. If he can get 4-6 ftas a game he should be much better. There's no reason he can't average one lob dunk, and one other dunk that he creates himself, a game.

[j-ragg]

That's most emotion she ever showed
Wooden actress.
Was solid in Room, looks like she is forced to act in any other role

I agree. Then when she was criticized just like every other not great actor/actress she had to blame it on white dudes. It's played out at this point. She's incredibly lucky the timing of Captain Marvel was right where Endgame was coming so it could clear a billion. I always liked the Scarlet chick more anyway.

Anywho, I thought Lowe started it out happy for Gordon for stepping up the last few games then he just kinda pointed out hes still been **** on offense all year. I'm kinda nervous for him playing while obviously injured (at least last week) but he looked plenty healthy against Lebron.

Saw on twitter SJW blaming academy for nominating Joker for oscars and how they are bunch of white dudes. Than i figured why i didn't open twitter for like year and half.

Twitter is the worst for that stuff, virtue signaling everywhere. I wish everyone just lived with the mindset that there's nothing wrong with being proud of who you are, you should be, just don't be so proud you think you should put others down. I realize the majority of people do think that way though and the twitter baiters are a tiny minority of the population. The comment sections are a cess pool for sure.

[j-ragg]

There is some merit to the article but nobody forces Gordon into bad shots. Gordon does that to himself.
Every time you remove leash from him you get trigger happy, unpatient and highjacks offense.

As a Gordon defender, I hate that he does it. He's at the 3 so much (ugh) here that he should just be posting up and abusing smaller forwards. But he goes to that turn around so much, I vehemently wish he'd use his strength for a little drop step then go up through contact.

This is where a better system would come in but like you said in a normal ideal world, it's on the player to realize it's a bad shot.

The AG in the LA game is the one I want to see every game. Use your athleticism and strength and relentessly attack the basket non-stop. If he can get 4-6 ftas a game he should be much better. There's no reason he can't average one lob dunk, and one other dunk that he creates himself, a game.

No disagreement there. I also think there's a correlation to Gordon playing better - Magic games more exciting. Lakers game was the most fun of the year by far, and we need more fun games imo. Just gotta hope he keeps it up and keeps attacking.