The Orlando Magic were arguably the most surprising playoff team in the 2018-19 NBA season, riding a talented wave of youngsters to a 42-40 record and to the team's first playoff berth since 2012.

Although the Magic were handily dispatched by the Toronto Raptors in five games in the first round, the future remains bright in Orlando.

While All-Star center Nikola Vucevic is headed for free agency, Orlando's core of Mohamed Bamba, Markelle Fultz and Aaron Gordon provides an intriguing and diverse young trio to build around in the coming years.

For his part, Gordon feels that he took more strides in the right direction in his fifth season in the league, during which he started in all 78 games that he played in.

“I thought I played the game better, overall, understanding what we needed, what was important in order to win,” he added. “I feel like I learned how to win in the NBA – and that’s the biggest part (to come out of this season). More than improving any one skill, I thought I improved my overall game skill,” Gordon said, per John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com:

Indeed, Aaron Gordon's individual stat line was very similar to his 2017-18 campaign. The former University of Arizona star averaged 16.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists (a new career high) while shooting close to 45 percent from the field.

Primarily known as an athletic freak in college, Gordon's skill set has slowly continued to blossom in the NBA. He shot about 35 percent from beyond the arc this season, and he has become more effective as a catch-and-shoot player in Orlando's offense.