By Josh CohenOct. 30, 2016
The league’s best players respect Aaron Gordon’s defensive abilities. In fact, in Saturday’s game in Cleveland, the Cavs made every attempt to force a defensive switch when LeBron James had the ball on the perimeter. In certain instances, Gordon fought over the screen and disabled James’ driving lanes. In other cases, LeBron settled for a low percentage 3-point shot. WATCH:
While sometimes he falls for pump fakes and leaves his feet, Gordon has generally done a terrific job closing out and contesting shots. He has outstanding length, particularly when he is guarding small forwards, and he makes up so much ground when he sprints toward the 3-point line. WATCH:
It’s nearly impossible for opponents to isolate Gordon and be successful. He has incredible lateral quickness, top notch instincts and pesky hands. He’s always in a textbook defensive stance and stays engaged throughout the entire possession. WATCH:
Gordon plays aggressive and physical. He excels defending against guys that prefer to put their head down and drive downhill. While he still needs to improve his post-up defense (moving to the three prevents this from being as much of an issue), Gordon does a splendid job forcing drivers into ill-advised shots. WATCH:
Now, let’s get into some stats. Through three games, Gordon’s defensive field goal percentage is an extremely impressive 25 percent. Even more significant, he’s keeping opponents out of the paint. For instance, all of LeBron’s shots when AG was defending were from 3-point range. Also, he currently is the only Magic player to take a charge. WATCH: