Aaron Gordon, a Northern California native, had this to say about coming to Los Angeles for a workout.
"“L.A. is the next stop. That should be fun. The Lakers are a great program. It’s a traditional program, so I think the level of intensity will be way up.If I ended up playing with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, that would be absolutely insane. I would want to know everything that they know. I’d be attached to Kobe at the hip. I’d be attached to him and Steve Nash. And if I don’t get picked by them, I’m going at them. Either way, it’s going to be fun.” – Slam Online"
That enthusiasm says it all about Aaron Gordon. The upside is all there. He has the athletic ability, enough length, excellent basketball IQ, tremendous defensive skills, and the work ethic to back it all up. In other drafts, he would be considered a top-5 pick on those qualities alone.
Mar 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Weber State Wildcats forward Joel Bolomboy (21) attempts a shot over Arizona Wildcats forward Aaron Gordon (11) in the first half of a men
That same enthusiasm may make him the perfect pick for the Lakers at #7.
There is talk of his upside being as great as Blake Griffin. That may be optimistic, considering Griffin had 30lbs. more muscle and played with more of a power game in the paint. A more approachable upside is a two-way version of David Lee, with better guard skills. Some may say that’s hard to imagine, but David Lee won the dunk contest over James White at the McDonald’s All American Dunk contest. Aaron Gordon has that kind of athleticism and body control.
If Gordon were to slip to the Laker pick, the team can’t help but respect his intelligence, unselfishness, commitment to defense, and work ethic at the gym.
Those, are the kind of qualities of a franchise player. Why not have a guy willing to learn from two Hall-of-Famers in Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash?
That would be a tremendous start.