Clifford dismisses conventional stats, praises gutsy Gordon for strong play
Coach has been impressed by guard’s defense, rebounding
There was talk Wednesday night after the Magic’s 112-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls that Aaron Gordon was back.
Orlando coach Steve Clifford, however, says a more accurate assessment is that Gordon’s game never left in the first place.
It’s easy to look at Gordon’s offensive output in some games and suggest he has taken the night off.
Take a recent game in Mexico City against Utah. Gordon scored just eight points during the contest against the Jazz, a 96-89 Magic victory.
It’s easy to see that Gordon took just seven shots and only had eight points, two rebounds and three assists. While that may have been a sub-par performance for Gordon, what is not easily seen is his ability to create with and without the ball on offense as well as guard the opposition’s best player night in and night out.
Gordon is asked to do far more than what the box score might suggest, and his coach is quick to
come to his defense.
“I think he’s playing at an incredibly high level and some nights he’s not getting as many shots, but I think it’s because he’s really locked in on just making the right play and making plays for his teammates and things like that,” Clifford said of Gordon, who in eight games prior to the Magic’s embarrassing loss at Minnesota on Friday had scored 116 points, grabbed 71 rebounds and had 39 assists. “I think his defense and his rebounding have been terrific and I think he’s in a stretch of games here where he’s really well.”
Orlando’s highest-paid player has struggled to score at times this season and after back-to-back games during which he scored just eight points each, many began to wonder what was up with Gordon, who averaged 17.9 points per game while leading the team in scoring last season.
Last season was statistically the best of Gordon’s career.
But Clifford expects so much more out of Gordon than the obvious stats.
“I think we should all be really, really happy with the way he is playing right now,” Clifford said of Gordon, who is currently averaging just playing some very solid numbers at 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. “And he’s gonna keep getting better because he’s a hard worker and he studies and he’s a very committed pro player.”
Gordon knows what’s being said about him and it inevitably gets to a person after a while, but he has to play through it. And after games like Wednesday, when he nearly tallied a triple-double with 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, it’s easy to wonder why others are critical of his production.
The sixth-year pro, however, is always his own worst critic.
Gordon spent extra time during the offseason working on facets of his game other than scoring. He has also had to bounce back and forth this season on defense to make up for absences of Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac and Jonathon Simmons, which can take a toll on a player’s consistency.
“I’m just trying to make the right play, deliver the ball on target and making sure my guys get their shots,” Gordon said. “And with injuries, I was going back from the 3 to the 4, and there is a difference. So now I’m kind of finding a rhythm with this 3.
“I’m still going back and forth, but I’m just out there playing. They want me to play stress-free and that’s what I’m trying to do.”