By John DentonMay 22, 2015
ORLANDO – While the Orlando Magic were hoping to make some significant strides in the standings during the 2014-15 season, it’s the individual strides among the gaggle of young players on the roster that might ultimately prove to be more long lasting in the years ahead.
Without question, the Magic (25-57) showed flashes of greatness this past season – both as a team and among their individual players. Seeing the growth and potential of players such as Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon gives the Magic tremendous hope that brighter days are ahead for a franchise out of the playoffs the past three seasons.
Without a doubt, developing more defensive toughness, becoming more consistent and learning how to close out tight games is still a work in progress for a Magic team that had the NBA’s fourth-youngest roster. Cultivating those things will be the job of a new head coach – be that an entirely new leader or interim coach James Borrego, who admirably guided the Magic over the final 30 games of the season after Jacque Vaughn was fired on Feb. 5. Orlando made some significant gains under Borrego – as evidenced by late-season victories against Chicago and Milwaukee – and he is expected to be considered for the full-time coaching gig going forward.
Orlando is also expected to add to its talent base in the June 25 NBA Draft. The Magic secured the No. 5 pick in the recent NBA Draft Lottery, meaning they will be able to acquire a top-five talent for a third consecutive season.
Looking back on the 2014-15 season, we here at OrlandoMagic.com are going to spend the next three weeks breaking down each of the players currently on the Magic roster. We’ll look at their stats, highs and lows from the season, a favorite moment and analyze their role for the future.
So without further ado, here is today’s Magic player capsule:
NAME: Aaron Gordon
JERSEY NUMBER: 00
HEIGHT, WEIGHT: 6-9, 220
POSITION: Forward
NBA SEASONS: 1
AGE: 19
2014-15 SEASON STATS: 47 games, 5.2 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 0.7 apg., 0.5 spg., 0.4 bpg., 44.7 FG percentage, 27.1 3FG percentage, 72.1 FT percentage.
2014-15 SEASON HIGHS: 17 points (Nov. 7 vs. Timberwolves); 12 rebounds (April 4 at Bucks); 3 assists (twice – most recently April 10 vs. Raptors); 2 steals (four times – most recently April 13 at Heat); 2 blocks (three times – most recently April 13 at Heat); 34 minutes (April 15 at Nets).
BEST MOMENT: Gordon scored a career-best 17 points in a come-from-behind win against Minnesota in November before suffering a fractured bone in his foot. But the finest stretch of his rookie season came late in the year after he got back into the flow. On April 3, he smothered Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins in the second half while also contributing seven points, six rebounds and two steals. A night later in Milwaukee, Gordon notched the first double-double of his young career with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also had two blocked shots that were things of beauty that showed off his tremendous athleticism.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: In his first year in Orlando, Gordon made it a point to get out into the community and make himself familiar to Magic fans. He did just that by taking part in 21 community events – 15 on an individual basis and six while along with his teammates. That participation led to Gordon having interactions with Magic fans on 84 occasions. In his first month with the Magic Gordon teamed up with fellow rookie Elfrid Payton to help the organization launch the Magic FIT program with dozens of local children. In November, Gordon conducted a postgame meet-and-greet with soldiers attending the game. And in March, Gordon assisted 200 Magic and UHC employees in packing backpacks with food for children who are often forced to do without healthy food options when school is not in session.
FUTURE ROLE WITH THE MAGIC: Gordon had an eight-week stretch of his rookie season taken away from him because of a fractured bone in the outside of his left foot, but he still managed to salvage his first season as a pro with a strong finish. He is unquestionably one of the Magic’s key building blocks for the future and he figures to make another major leap next season after another summer of working with shooting coach Dave Love. Gordon worked hard last summer to become a better mid-range and corner-3 shooter and those shots proved fairly reliable to him this past season. Still he must get better at knocking down open shots, shooting off the dribble and creating his own shot. Defensively is where Gordon’s greatest impact will come for the Magic in the future. He has the size the muscle opposing power forwards and the quickness to stay in front of small forwards. The job he did late in the season on the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Khris Middleton, Jimmy Butler and Luol Deng showed off Gordon’s potential as an elite-level defender.
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