Will Aaron Gordon bust or develop?

[thebigabd]

Blake Griffin quality athlete... Magic took him at #5 but only averaged 5 and 4 as a rookie. Still only 19 years old. Orlando is in desperate need of production at the PF spot but they took a 2/3 in the draft this year. They either believe in Gordon or were planning for someone in FA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Fhin-1u3w

 

[Eielson]

I'm not too concerned about him yet. He wasn't supposed to hit the ground running. He's a great athlete, but he needs time to develop. I don't expect him to have a great second year, either.

 

[Sooner04]

Great athlete. Phenomenal athlete. Terrible basketball player. The NBA will learn one of these days.

 

[Eielson]

Great athlete. Phenomenal athlete. Terrible basketball player. The NBA will learn one of these days.

McBuckets hasn't had much luck, either.

 

[SoopaSooner]

I personally was never sold and was glad the Magic took him early. Tweener athletic players are too scary now days. Reminded me too much of Michael Beasley.

Better question would be Dante Exum. He had way more hype than anyone not named Wiggins/Parker/Embiid but was pretty lousy even for a rookie.

 

[bocabull]

Better question would be Dante Exum. He had way more hype than anyone not named Wiggins/Parker/Embiid but was pretty lousy even for a rookie.

Head to head Jordan Clarkson shredded Exum. Total mismatch. Of course Clarkson was 1st team all rookie for a reason.

 

[Eielson]

Gordon may never be the offensive presence you want from a top 5 pick, but he's not a bad basketball player. You need more than just great scorers to win championships. He's a great athlete, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't develop into an elite defender/rebounder. I'm betting he has a better career than a lot of the top 10 guys this year, and a few from last year.

 

[Sooner04]

I don't think he's even a bad basketball player. I think he is a TERRIBLE basketball player. I think those "elite" defenders are a dime a dozen.

 

[Eielson]

I don't think he's even a bad basketball player. I think he is a TERRIBLE basketball player. I think those "elite" defenders are a dime a dozen.

When I said he should develop into an elite defender, you seem to have taken that as me saying "elite" defender. In reality, I meant elite defender.

 

[Sooner04]

I think a lot of teams go down the rabbit hole of securing an "elite" defender when there are many other ways to win. How much help is that elite defender in crunch time when your offense is forced to play 4 on 5? I've got no use for guys like DeAndre Jordan and Aaron Gordon who simply cannot play basketball.

Wonderful, incredible athletes, sure, just terrible basketball players.

 

[Eielson]

I think a lot of teams go down the rabbit hole of securing an "elite" defender when there are many other ways to win. How much help is that elite defender in crunch time when your offense is forced to play 4 on 5? I've got no use for guys like DeAndre Jordan and Aaron Gordon who simply cannot play basketball.

Wonderful, incredible athletes, sure, just terrible basketball players.

If that elite defender is truly an elite defender, then he's of great value late in games. Yes, game-winning shots are great, but game-winning stops count for just as much everywhere except SportCenter's Top 10. If a guy like Deandre Jordan is your star player, then yes, you're screwed. He's a great piece, though, when compensating for a guy like Dirk on the defensive end, though.

When you say "can play basketball," it seems you're only referring to one side of the court. There are two, though, and there always will be. Doug McDermott is a "great basketball player," but a poor athlete. Due to that, he has yet to be of much use for the Bulls, and there is concern that he never will be. Ideally, you draft a great athlete who is also "a great basketball player," but those guys don't come around that often. It's not uncommon to see the Russell Westbrooks of the world outperform the Darren Collisons in the pros.

 

[Sooner04]

I think you and I are one the same page in most ways. There's a happy medium between McDermott and non-basketball players like Aaron Gordon, and that's where I'd like to see most GMs focus on their picks if they've got a tough drafting decision.

In my world, paying DeAndre Jordan 20 million bucks a year is absolute madness.

In my world, spending a top 5 pick on Aaron Gordon is absolute madness.

 

[sperry]

In fairness to Exum, he went from playing high school basketball in Australia to playing in the NBA in one year. He was always going to be a long, long term project. Just a testament to how bad the draft was last year that these complete projects got drafted so high.

 

[Eielson]

I think you and I are one the same page in most ways. There's a happy medium between McDermott and non-basketball players like Aaron Gordon, and that's where I'd like to see most GMs focus on their picks if they've got a tough drafting decision.

For some teams, I think the fact that Gordon is a project is actually a bonus for these teams. If he is successful right away, they don't get to come back and pick another guy in the top 5. Due to Gordon's lack of an impact his rookie year, the Magic had the opportunity to pick in the top 5 again. These GM's are swinging for the fences, and if they succeed they're heroes. If they strike out, they get to keep swinging. If they hit a double, then they're stuck on second base (the dreaded 15-20 range where you barely made the playoffs, but it cost you the draft positioning you need to get better).

In my world, paying DeAndre Jordan 20 million bucks a year is absolute madness.

In my world, spending a top 5 pick on Aaron Gordon is absolute madness.

I'm in agreement that paying DeAndre Jordan 20M doesn't seem right (drafting an 18 y/o that is already a great athlete, but is still working on his game doesn't seem as absurd to me). It's not as bad, though, when you consider what guys like Matthews and Carroll are going for. 20M on Jordan is much better than spending 15M on a 29 y/o (when the season starts) 3 and D guy that went undrafted and is coming off of a torn achilles injury.

I can't understand why such huge contracts are being thrown at these 3 and D guys. I get what guys like Carroll and Green bring, but all of these guys were 2nd round draft picks, or in Matthews case, undrafted. The league is swarming with athletes that can play the wing. If you have good scouts, you can pick these guys off the streets in the middle of the season.

 

[Eielson]

In fairness to Exum, he went from playing high school basketball in Australia to playing in the NBA in one year. He was always going to be a long, long term project. Just a testament to how bad the draft was last year that these complete projects got drafted so high.

I think last year's draft was actually pretty good; you just had to make the right picks. The Magic actually made what already appears to be a very good pick at #10 in Payton. Guys like Randle were still available at 7 as well, and everybody knew he was a quality player.

Randle went down the first game of the season, and I'm still laughing at the Celtics for taking Smart ahead of him. :ez-roll:

 

[sperry]

I think last year's draft was actually pretty good; you just had to make the right picks. The Magic actually made what already appears to be a very good pick at #10 in Payton. Guys like Randle were still available at 7 as well, and everybody knew he was a quality player.

Randle went down the first game of the season, and I'm still laughing at the Celtics for taking Smart ahead of him. :ez-roll:

Man, just can't agree. Randle fell to 7 because he was damaged goods. And then, true to form, he went down almost immediately. Same with Embiid.

And then you've got plenty of guys picked early who look like they can't even play, like Stauskas, Vonleh, and McDermott.

 

[SoopaSooner]

I was fine with the Smart pick. The C's have plenty of undersized PF as it is.

 

[bocabull]

I was fine with the Smart pick. The C's have plenty of undersized PF as it is.

It's true Randle is a little undersized at PF but the hope is that his explosiveness and ball handling make up for it. The hope is he's able to draw his defender away from the bucket and drive past him. We'll see. Like you said he fell to 7 over a legit bone issue with his foot and his size.

 

[thebigabd]

Aaron Gordon with 22 points and 18 rebounds in his first summer league game this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y60abYidNDk

 

[Eielson]

Aaron Gordon with 22 points and 18 rebounds in his first summer league game this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y60abYidNDk

Lookin a little bit like a basketball player!

Admittedly, about half of his rebounds came on the same possession from his own tips. That play was an awkward blend of impressive and disturbingly unimpressive. I'm still not sure how I feel about that play.