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Through his first three seasons in the league with the Orlando Magic, forward Aaron Gordon has shown some glimpses of promise.
Heading into his fourth year, there is much optimism around the organization that Gordon can finally take that leap into stardom as teammate Elfrid Payton believes the 22-year-old is geared up for a breakout 2017-18 campaign, according to John Denton of Magic.com.
Added Magic point guard Elfrid Payton, one of Gordon’s closest friends on the team: “Definitely, he’s ready to take that jump. A.G. is somebody who works hard and he’s starting to really get that feel for the game. He’s going to be great for us at (power forward) because he’s a matchup nightmare. I’m so excited to see him out there this year. You need that drive to be great that he has and he’s somebody who puts the work in, so (greatness) is definitely achievable for him.”
Gordon has developed the reputation as being one of the most athletic big men in the league but has yet to expand upon that on the offensive end of the floor. He is coming off his most productive season where he averaged a career-high 12.7 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field with 5.1 rebounds in 80 games played with 72 starts.
This included a promising stretch over the last 24 games of the regular season where he averaged 16.4 points on 50.8 percent shooting from the field with 6.2 rebounds. It was highlighted by a 32-point, 12-rebound performance in the season finale against the Detroit Pistons.
His play over that time frame may have only further amplified the amount of positivity around the Magic regarding his development. With an entire offseason to work on his craft, the table may be set for a breakout season.
