The Case for Aaron Gordon

What is the Aaron Gordon’s identity or talent on the floor?

Aaron Gordon is a jack-of-all-trades player.  Unlike most NBA rookies, he’s better defensively than he is on offense.  It doesn’t necessarily show in blocked shots or steals, but it does show with transition defense, pick and roll defense, lateral quickness defending wing players, motor when defending post players, and excellent position and stance.

Offensively, he tries to combine two elements of the NBA game.  First and foremost, he’s a finisher around the rim.  With a maximum vertical combine score over 39″, he tested better than David Lee and Blake Griffin.  He hits the offensive glass, and likes to finish with authority.  The second element of his offensive game is more guard-oriented.  He likes to handle the basketball behind the 3-point line and look for ways to attack the basket. His jumpshot is in development, and unlike most rookie NBA forwards, he has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43:1.  That’s unheard of for a power forward, and usually reserved for playmaking small forwards.  He doesn’t have much shake to his ball-handling yet, but he attacks aggressively and hits the open man with well-timed passes.