By John Denton
July 17, 2015
ORLANDO – Promising Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon underwent a surgical procedure to repair a fractured jaw on Tuesday.
Gordon, who recently led the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League in scoring and rebounding, is expected to return to action prior to the Magic’s regular-season opener in late October. His return to basketball-related activities and conditioning sessions will depend on how he responds to rehabilitation.
Gordon, 19 and the second-youngest player in the NBA this past NBA season, was injured while visiting with family and horsing around with older brother, Drew. The native of San Jose, Calif. underwent surgery in California earlier this week.
The fourth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Gordon worked hard this summer in Orlando and California to dramatically improve his game. Those advancements were quite evident in an impressive showing in last week’s summer league. In three games, Gordon averaged 21.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks a game. Most impressive was how Gordon greatly improved his 3-point accuracy and his mid-range and pull-up jump shots. Gordon shot 50 percent from the field (24 of 48) and the 3-point line (six of 12) during summer league action.
One of the Magic’s most versatile players because of his ability to defend several positions, Gordon is still expected to compete for a primary rotation spot at the small forward and power forward positions next season.
A big chunk of Gordon’s rookie season was marred by an injury. He fractured a bone in the outside of his foot early in the season and he missed 31 games from Nov. 17 through Jan. 14.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder salvaged his rookie season by finishing strong. He ended up scoring in double-digits six times – five of them coming after the foot injury. He scored a career-best 17 in an early-season win against Minnesota, and he had his first double-double (10 points and a career-best 12 rebounds) on April 4 in a Magic victory in Milwaukee.
In 47 games (eight starts), Gordon averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17 minutes. He had at least one blocked shot in 18 games and at least one steal in 17 games.
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