FanPost

Why Aaron Gordon is a Small (Point) Forward

I have been pleading that Aaron Gordon is a SF for the past season and no one seemed to listen to me. Now the Magic believe it as well. I run a new Orlando Magic site and posted this article there a couple weeks ago. Here's the article in full length.

The future of the Orlando Magic lies within the vision of how Aaron Gordon will be used. If the Magic want to win a championship, Gordon should play as a SF and stop being used as a PF primarily. In stretches of the game, based on matchups and strategy, he can operate at the PF position.

Reason #1 – Lockdown Perimeter Wing

If there is one NBA ready skill Gordon has had since he entered the NBA two seasons ago, it was the ability to guard the other teams best perimeter player and have an effect on them. This guy, right now, can match up with them and make them earn their points. Last season Evan Fournier wasn’t a bad on ball defender but Gordon is an elite defender. Now the Magic can switch pick and rolls with confidence. Gordon isn’t going to get exposed because of his ability to guard 4 positions on the court. This also impacts Fournier and his defensive matchup because now he slides to the SG position and at 6’7", is taller and longer than most SG in the NBA. Playing Gordon at SF for defensive purposes not only impacts his play but it puts other players in a better position to be successful.

Reason #2 – Lineup Flexibility

Having Gordon play SF should send Victor Oladipo (Edit:Oladipo is traded) to the bench where he would see time backing up Fournier and Elfrid Payton. Until Oladipo gets more consistent, this role is one that will help him succeed. It allows increased lineup flexibility by having the ability to play Gordon at PF depending on matchups sliding Fournier to SF and either Mario Hezonja or Oladipo at SG. The Magic can even play Hezonja at SG and Oladipo at PG. This team really has the ability to be flexible based on matchups.

Reason #3 – His Offensive Skill-set

A lot of critics point to his low three point shooting percentage (29 percent) as the main reason he isn’t a SF. However, Shawn Marion, a player Gordon has been compared to, shot 25 percent from the three in his second season as a pro. The next two years of his career he shot 39 percent and 38 percent from three-point range. Is that example too far in the past? Al-Farouq Aminu has recently been a 27 percent shooter from three. This past season with the Trail Blazers he shot 36 percent from deep. Stats will deceive.

It’s more important to take a look at the types of shots Gordon is settling for and then placing him in situations where he can take and make more three’s. His shooting form isn’t the issue.

Watching Gordon, he rarely receives the ball with his back to the basket, in the post. Instead, he prefers to receive the ball on the wing, in a triple threat position or curling on a dribble hand-off going towards the basket. The issue with this part of his game has many layers. First, he doesn’t have a spot on the floor that he attacks and makes an effort to beat his defender to. He sometimes gets mid-paint area and falls away for a mid-range, which isn’t bad, but that can’t be the foundation of his game.

Next, he wants to dribble but he loses his handle too often and it affects his confidence. This makes him pass the ball and lose aggressiveness. What he needs to do is work on is his dribble until he’s confident in getting to the spots he feels most comfortable. When that happens, we will see the Aaron Gordon that is waiting to break out.

During his pre-draft workout with the Lakers in 2014, Gordon was asked what his position was and he responded, "Point forward. Forward as of right now and then developing into a point forward. I’ve played point forward my entire life but at the next level I want to be a forward and then develop into that." Those are his own words and the Magic should believe him.

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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