MIAMI — It's 12 minutes to tipoff, and Aaron Gordon won't budge from the left corner.
The first long-range look for the third-year Orlando Magic forward clips the front iron, then the back and rattles out. His next four fall in succession, with only one requiring the rim's assistance.
"He's improved his perimeter shooting," Magic coach Frank Vogel told Bleacher Report, "and his feel on the perimeter for recognizing the spots and the role we've created for him."
As encouraging as all that sounds—and as much credit as Gordon deserves for a complete buy-in to moving from the post to the perimeter—this process isn't what it seems.
He is not a small forward; he just plays one for the Magic.
Vogel acknowledged as much before the season.
"If Serge Ibaka wasn't here, Aaron Gordon would be my power forward," Vogel told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe in July. "But Serge is here."
So are centers Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo, who, along with Ibaka, all see more floor time than Gordon's nightly allotment of 26.1 minute ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Zach Buckley
Aaron Gordon’s Ascension Is Short-Circuiting in Orlando
December 21st, 2016 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
Advertisement