THE Aaron Gordon thread

[Bensational]

AG is looking well primed for a starting role. He's got a lot more confidence in his offense and jump shot, so he's looking a lot less like a weakness on that end, and possibly a strength if his game keeps progressing the way it is.

People keep wanting to say 3 or 4 for Harris or AG. They're just forwards, who are both capable of manning both spots for certain match ups.

[Magic_Time]

The difference between Aaron and Harkless..
They are both long and athletic, they both have the potential to become great defenders, and they have a similar game if u ask me. . Aaron works hard in the off season just like we hear Harkless does. However, Aaron plays harder and wants to be great. Aaron is shaping into the player that we be waiting and want Harkless to become. The one thing that separates them is their mentality and the confedence each has on their game which Harkless seems not to have. Here's the difference between great players and ok players. Great players work hard on their game and have the confidence to use what they learn in practice during real game situation and not afraid to try. Not only they try them but they believe that it will work. That's Gordon right here. Players like Harkless, they'll work hard on their game but they don't believe that they'll b successful therefore they are shying away from the challenge to have the ball to use what they learn in practice in game time situations.. Gordon wants to be great which is the reason why he doesn't need anyone to push him and show confidence in him, he builds it within himself. Harkless needs a coach who would have to be patient with him, always be in his ears and show confidence in him in other for him to breakout. If not, he will struggle to stay in an nba team hiS whole career. .

[KillMonger]

For me in a way it's like we got another lottery pick in AG, his last season was pretty much lost. He lost a good amount of time with the injury, coaches jerking with his minutes and our idiotic coaches not using him at all or knowing how to use him. So far he seems to have put in the work, it shows in his game and his frame(like that?) The one thing i will say is so far even though his shot has vastly improved in terms of mechanics and the speed he gets it off it still needs refining. He needs to get that shot consistent because even though he's getting a lot of touches now in summer league since he's being featured that will not be the case come the season.

All in all though that jumper really just needs to be respectable because it'll open his game so much, he will then become more of a triple threat in the sense where he could shoot it, drive it or pass it. I think AG's BEST attribute BY FAR is his growth rate, look at the improvement last year from summer league to the start of the season, and then from then until now. He's grown so much so fast from other fans i've talked to they are kinda shocked to see him play this way.

All that and then he still has 3 months and some change in camp to get even better,stronger and faster. If a starting spot is up for grabs AG should make a great case for himself to get that spot, he's a starter already in my book.

[seeingstars]

"Last year, I did play some 3 and 4 and I bounced back and forth, and it was difficult for me just being a rookie — the different sets, the different defenses — and I stepped up to that challenge," Gordon said. "And I worked it out throughout the whole season, so now I'm ready to play either."

[tooler]

"Last year, I did play some 3 and 4 and I bounced back and forth, and it was difficult for me just being a rookie — the different sets, the different defenses — and I stepped up to that challenge," Gordon said. "And I worked it out throughout the whole season, so now I'm ready to play either."

I noticed the same quote in his SL game 3 interview. That's a big change from the message last year in summer league.

[tiderulz]

AG is looking well primed for a starting role. He's got a lot more confidence in his offense and jump shot, so he's looking a lot less like a weakness on that end, and possibly a strength if his game keeps progressing the way it is.

People keep wanting to say 3 or 4 for Harris or AG. They're just forwards, who are both capable of manning both spots for certain match ups.

this i think is the key thing. Skiles will roll our both AG and Harris and figure out who can defend their opposing player better and switch as needed.

[yoyojw17]

AG is looking well primed for a starting role. He's got a lot more confidence in his offense and jump shot, so he's looking a lot less like a weakness on that end, and possibly a strength if his game keeps progressing the way it is.

People keep wanting to say 3 or 4 for Harris or AG. They're just forwards, who are both capable of manning both spots for certain match ups.

this i think is the key thing. Skiles will roll our both AG and Harris and figure out who can defend their opposing player better and switch as needed.

Yup... this is the first time that I personally have seen a team that can say that there is no true definition at the forward positions. Having Versatile forwards would mean that we will have the potential to assign duties to reap the maximum benefits. With less and less physically imposing forwards (even centers for that fact) in the post.... this should be easier to roll with for most nights.

[Nyce_1]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

[Xaymaka]

I'm happy for AG. From his Draft Class, I think he will be first one to reach full potential and I can't wait for it to happen.

[Blue_and_Whte]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

Or what?
I really hope people don't start turning on Elf and giving him ultimatums just because he wasn't goat in summer league. We don't need to pigeonhole these guys into a specific time frame of improvement. I'm fine with the trajectory of Elf's development, even if he's not Curry shooting the ball he'll be an elite defender and playmaker and I'm fine with that. Not every player improves at the same rate.

[phiphan]

Hey guys, Sixers fan here. Just wondering if there were any off-season reports of Aaron Gordon selling his soul to the devil? Dude looks amazing...

Also, grats on your core of youngsters. Orlando is the only team I'm jealous of in the league. I watch your team's summer league highlights before I watch the Sixers', haha.

[tooler]

Also, grats on your core of youngsters. Orlando is the only team I'm jealous of in the league. I watch your team's summer league highlights before I watch the Sixers', haha.

I appreciate hearing this because I've been jealous of a few young teams and players the last year or two. Lots of exciting talent out there.

I just want the team to start winning before everyone jumps on the bandwagon!

[OrlandO]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

It would be nice if Elf improved his shot, but just remember we got to the finals with Alston bricking floaters and threes...

[OrlChamps2030]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

Or what?
I really hope people don't start turning on Elf and giving him ultimatums just because he wasn't goat in summer league. We don't need to pigeonhole these guys into a specific time frame of improvement. I'm fine with the trajectory of Elf's development, even if he's not Curry shooting the ball he'll be an elite defender and playmaker and I'm fine with that. Not every player improves at the same rate.

the summer league hype fest has been something else around here

seeing improvement both statistically and through the eye test is nice but I've seen multiple people these past few days relegate elfrid to a bench role/giving an ultimatum. and i have no clue where people are forming these thoughts, other than his summer league performance.

[Catledge]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

Or what?
I really hope people don't start turning on Elf and giving him ultimatums just because he wasn't goat in summer league. We don't need to pigeonhole these guys into a specific time frame of improvement. I'm fine with the trajectory of Elf's development, even if he's not Curry shooting the ball he'll be an elite defender and playmaker and I'm fine with that. Not every player improves at the same rate.

the summer league hype fest has been something else around here

seeing improvement both statistically and through the eye test is nice but I've seen multiple people these past few days relegate elfrid to a bench role/giving an ultimatum. and i have no clue where people are forming these thoughts, other than his summer league performance.

FWIW, I've been on record this whole time that Payton has been handed a role that he is not ready for and that people seem to be giving him credit for things that he has not yet done. That was one thing during the tank, but now that we're trying to win, I think it would be a mistake to continue to gift him starter's minutes if he doesn't make significant strides.

And it seems to me that summer league is a venue in which we could reasonably expect to see progress. I'm not suggesting that we should give up on him, but I don't see what he's done to earn a free pass on summer league.

[KillMonger]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

Or what?
I really hope people don't start turning on Elf and giving him ultimatums just because he wasn't goat in summer league. We don't need to pigeonhole these guys into a specific time frame of improvement. I'm fine with the trajectory of Elf's development, even if he's not Curry shooting the ball he'll be an elite defender and playmaker and I'm fine with that. Not every player improves at the same rate.

I'm not going to lie i'm a little disappointed in how he played in summer league but he's shown to me in the past season when the games mattered that he could be a very good player in this league. While i wanted him to go ham in summer league i'm not going to go overboard and think that he somehow regressed as a player because i highly doubt that. To me i just think he's trying to do things i different way, i mean he's processing a new system and trying to implement new habits in his game like trying to get that jumpshot respectable. Right now he's on cruise control but i think he'll be fine and most of our young guys including him will be much improved come the regular season having a full training camp with a reputable coaching staff.

[Nyce_1]

Imagine a 4/5 Pick-n-Pop with AG/Vuc and Fournier/Mario/Watson on the wings.

Elf needs to improve that shot, man. If he doesn't improve it by 3rd season....

Or what?
I really hope people don't start turning on Elf and giving him ultimatums just because he wasn't goat in summer league. We don't need to pigeonhole these guys into a specific time frame of improvement. I'm fine with the trajectory of Elf's development, even if he's not Curry shooting the ball he'll be an elite defender and playmaker and I'm fine with that. Not every player improves at the same rate.

I have no problems saying if Elf can't START to show some improvement in his shot by 3rd season, it may be time to reevaluate his fit on the team. I love elf and even though it's summer league, I'm encouraged by his improved confidence to take open 3's in the flow of the game. I used to hate when he would pass up that shot when it was in flow. He's already shown improvement with his confidence but that's only half the battle.

I only started to go down this road because of the new outlook of our team with AG and Mario handling the ball in the halfcourt. If Elf is playing off the ball, we aren't utilizing his strength on offense. Therefore, he needs to improve to a respectable level with his 3ball to take full advantage of all the offensive strengths of our players to make our team that much more dynamic. I'm not going to sit here and not bring it up when the writing is starting to get on the wall. We have great young players that are versatile enough to handle the ball. When everyone can reliably knock down a jumper, we're going to be dangerous.

[tooler]

Ugh, who's the goofball that started this tangent in the Aaron Gordon thread?

Don't forget that as bad as Elfrid's shooting was, he still had a positive offensive RPM and gave the team a +6.2 ORtg while on the court.

I don't want to gift him anything, and I'd rather him play 25-30 minutes with high intensity, but as long as he doesn't regress, we'll be fine.

Team defense is the key, folks.

[KillMonger]

Maybe that pro-am highlight video wasn't that far off lol

[ivDT]

He's a Lebron-esque SF type. He might even be bigger and more muscular than Lebron when Lebron was 19.

may be too soon, but i think it's time to resurrect his "l.s.l." nickname.