I remember it like it was 1,561 days ago — mostly because it
was. I was laying on the futon pad in my dorm, procrastinating
studying for my Forensic Science exam by looking through NBA
highlights on YouTube (I know, some ~ casual ~ behavior on my
part).
My mindless scrolling finally ceased when I stumbled upon this
gem:
A delicious 40-burger. Aaron Gordon’s second one in as many
months. I thought to myself: He’s finally taking that
leap. A star is born.
Alas, the three-point shooting and on-ball creation never really
materialized to the level necessary to make my prediction come to
fruition. And, among his desire to be elsewhere, the Orlando Magic
ultimately threw in the towel on his development in 2021, opting to
rebuild their roster by trading him to the Denver Nuggets for the
likes of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and a lightly protected
first-round pick.
Just like that, it appeared the book on Gordon had been closed.
But then something fascinating happened. He transformed his game
entirely.
His New Partner in Matrimony
In a recent episode of the DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast,
co-host Miroslav Ćuk likened the new partnership between
Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to that of a married couple.
And when you spend a handful of hours alone in your home office
watching the two interact on the court (as I have), you have a hard
time contending with that assessment.
Whether it resonates through hookups on 45-degree cuts to the
rim, transition outlets, entry passes into a post seal or simple
handoff actions, the two have achieved a level of on-court
chemistry typically reserved for lifelong companions.
This season, Gordon is getting more assisted looks and
more shots at the rim, and is scoring at the highest
efficiency of his career — in large part because of his new
frontcourt partner. With Jokic,
Gordon is no longer bound by the advantage-creating ambitions the
Magic had envisioned for him. He’s now empowered to roam free as
the hyper-athletic play-finisher he was always destined to be.
However, Gordon isn’t the only one collecting benefits from this
relationship. One could even argue that the symbiotic nature of
their dynamic bears some resemblance to that of Steve Nash and
Amar'e Stoudemire in the mid-2000s. Now, while I will concede that
Gordon isn’t nearly the offensive talent Stoudemire was during his
heyday, the formula is still the same:
The pairings’ similarities don’t end there. From 2004-10,
Nash averaged nearly 2 assists
fewer per 100 possessions when Stoudemire was on the bench (per PBP
Stats). In comparison, Jokic has lost
almost 2 assists per 100 possessions in the 365 minutes he’s
played without Gordon this season.
Historical comparisons aside, the tandem also fulfills the
marital trope of taking on aspects of your partner's personality.
In the same way that dating someone for a long time might increase
your appreciation for squishmallows (wait, is that just me?),
Gordon’s time spent sharing the court with a passing savant has
made him a worthy facilitator in his own right:
Aaron Gordon plays 50 games with Nikola
Jokic. All of a sudden he's one of the best passers at his
position. pic.twitter.com/PRysqnp5FS
The numbers appear to back up Wind’s observation as well.
According to BBall Index’s Playmaking Talent database, Gordon is
experiencing a career year in passing creation quality, passing
versatility and playmaking. He’s still by no means the guy you want
running the show, but he’s more than equipped to connect the dots
when the heavyweights start the thread.
A Defensive Swiss-Army Knife
While Gordon's strides on the offensive end have been
substantial, it’s the defensive evolution he's undergone that has
been the most necessary for the Nuggets this season.
Aaron Gordon Defensive Roles by year:
14-15: Perimeter Big
15-16: Perimeter Big
16-17: Chaser
17-18: Perimeter Big
18-19: Perimeter Big
19-20: Chaser
20-21: Wing Stopper
21-22: Point of Attack
Initially brought in to provide additional backline support to
his more floor-bound companion, Gordon has transitioned to a new
seat right at the head of the table, playing the part of the
Nuggets’ go-to, point-of-attack stopper. This year, Gordon has
spent a whopping 45.4% of his possessions guarding point guards and
shooting guards — the largest percentage of his career by a wide
margin (per BBall Index).
Most of this shift in role has been out of necessity, with
frailer guards like Monte Morris, Facundo Campazzo and Bones Hyland
occupying backcourt minutes; the burden of mixing it up with the
best offensive engines in the league has been placed squarely at
Gordon’s feet. And man, for someone that is learning this gig on
the fly, is he holding down the fort.
I implore you all to take a brief 60 seconds of your day to
marvel at the defensive clips above. Take note of all the different
variations of player archetypes Gordon has been tasked to go up
against. Guile-based miniature guards like Trae Young, hyper-athletic
slashers like Anthony Edwards, Earth-pushing
forwards masquerading as ball-handlers like Luka Doncic. Gordon has managed
to annoy all of them at different points in the season.
In fact, according to BBall Index’s database dating to 2013,
Gordon owns the highest Defensive Versatility score of any
point-of-attack defender on record, ranking 2 points higher than
the next closest player (2020-21 Ben Simmons).
This versatility was on full display in a crucial possession of
a late-game overtime thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans
earlier this week. Here, after stonewalling Brandon Ingram from his
attempt at getting to his sweet spot, Gordon picks up CJ McCollum
and lands a textbook jump-shot-altering contest:
Gordon's
block percentages are down from past seasons, but that’s mostly
because his new responsibilities on the perimeter make it difficult
for him to consistently challenge shots in the interior. He’s
currently contesting one less shot within 6 feet of the rim per
game than he was with Orlando from 2017-20 (per NBA.com).
However, when the moment calls for it, he’s shown he’s still
capable of filling the void that he was originally intended to:
Indeed, Gordon never blossomed into the sky-walking, scoring
superstar the Magic and I imagined he would be after his 40-point
eruption in 2017. But that’s okay because he’s still developed into
a great player in his own right. He’s Jokic’s new favorite
offensive partner in crime, a tissue-connecting passer, and the
basketball equivalent of a multipurpose weapon of destruction on
defense.
Simply put: Aaron Gordon is not the player the Magic wanted him
to be, but he’s the player that the Nuggets need him to be.
Looking to go to the hottest
concerts, sports, theater & family shows near you? Get 100%
guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from
TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of
BasketballNews.com. Order online
now!