The Orlando Magic’s
Aaron Gordon might enjoy being referred to as a “scoring guy,” but coach Frank Vogel wants the 6-foot-9 forward to better share the ball with his teammates.
Aaron Gordon laughed when he was referred to as a “scoring guy” at the Orlando Magic practice Monday.
He liked the connotation, yet understands he might not be considered a true NBA scorer even though he leads the Magic with an 18.8 points per game average.
“You think I’m a scoring guy? That’s nice, man. I appreciate that. … That’s love, man,” Gordon laughed. “I’m an all-around basketball player. I can score, do a lot of different things, but getting my teammates involved is better for the motor of our offense.”
Gordon has shown he can score when needed during his fourth year as a pro out of Arizona, but what Magic coach Frank Vogel has been trying to get out of the 6-foot-9 forward is his sense of sharing the ball and helping make his teammates better.
“He had a night against Milwaukee where he clearly was forcing on his own offense too much and we took him out of the game as a result of it,” Vogel said. “His response to that [at Washington] was to come in and really make a cognizant effort to play with the pass and play the right
way and improve his teammates.
“As a result, we got off to a strong start and had one of our best offensive nights of the year.”
Friday night at Washington, Gordon not only scored 14 points but also dished out seven assists, which tied a career high. Overall, the Magic had 32 assists in a tough 125-119 loss to the Wizards, marking just the fifth time this season they have had more than 30 assists.
That’s the kind of ball movement Vogel wants to see more consistently.
“I thought we played one of our better basketball games [against Washington]. We still didn’t get the W, but I thought we played well and hopefully that carries over to the game [Tuesday] night,” Vogel said. “Offensively we played the right way and when we do that, we’re really tough to guard.”
Vogel acknowledged it is tough for a young player like Gordon to come out of college, where he was the go-to player, and learn how to also get his teammates involved.
“We’re in uncharted territory for him. He’s improving his game each year, but he’s in for a stretch of his career where maybe he’s the first option, he and Evan [Fournier] probably, with Vooch [Nikola Vucevic] out,” Vogel said. “This is a
“I gotta be sharp and gotta make sure I look to get my teammates involved, look to make everyone better around me.” Magic’s Aaron Gordon
learning process for him, for all of us and he took a big step in his growth and development the way he played the other night trying to set teammates up.”
Gordon understands what his coach wants from him and he’s trying to learn how to be that first offensive option while still being able to share the ball.
“For the rest of the season, it just needs to be another way for us to learn as a group,” Gordon said. “It’s different. I haven’t gotten this look before and it’s fun and it’s challenging and it’s something that I need to grow and learn quickly for my team.
“A big responsibility comes with that, so I gotta be sharp and gotta make sure I look to get my teammates involved, look to make everyone better around me. That’s the biggest thing. Making people better around you, that’s the mark of a great player.”