It was only
a preseason exhibition as the Orlando Magic defeated the Dallas Mavericks 112-89 here at home. But the effort of Aaron Gordon and his 17 points and 10 rebounds should be encouraging to fans.
Nikola Vucevic hurled a pass to Aaron Gordon on the perimeter, and Gordon didn’t hesitate, not even for a split-second.
Gordon caught the basketball, elevated 25 feet from the basket and snapped his right wrist, lofting the ball into the air and through the hoop.
That sequence, from early in Thursday night’s first quarter, should encourage the Orlando Magic.
Gordon feels better than he did at this time last year or the year before that. Free of the injuries that hampered him the past two preseasons and ensconced at the position that best suits him, Gordon might be ready to make the jump the Magic so desperately need him to make.
Gordon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes to help the Magic defeat the undermanned Dallas Mavericks 112-89 at Amway Center. True, it was only a preseason exhibition, but
team officials must be pleased with what Gordon has shown.
“There’s more to come,” Gordon said. “There’s much, much more to come.”
Always a threat during his previous three seasons to deliver transition baskets and rebounds, Gordon now looks more comfortable with his role and a bit more at ease on the perimeter.
He also benefits from being injury-free. A fractured jaw in mid-2015 hampered him as the 2015-16 season approached. A severely sprained ankle during the summer of 2016 impacted him last season more than he ever let on.
And before last season’s All-Star break, something else limited him: his position.
The mid-2016 trade to acquire power forward Serge Ibaka forced coach Frank Vogel to play Gordon at small forward, and Gordon spent too much time on the perimeter. Outside shooting and ball-handling always have been Gordon’s major weaknesses, and even now, he still must prove can stretch the floor.
But Ibaka’s mid-February trade to the Toronto Raptors allowed Vogel to move Gordon back to power forward. After the All-Star break, Gordon averaged 16.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and made 50.3 percent of his shots.
“I think that 4 position really fits him better than the 3,” Vucevic said. “I think for most 4s he will be a mismatch for them defending him because he’s going to be able to drive and create. I think he’s starting to make better decisions, making passes, making the right read and not forcing shots.”
The Magic think Gordon still has room to improve.
“He’s had some great, great practices,” Vogel said. “He started really strong in both preseason games, and I’m very encouraged with his progress and development. He’s playing well.”
Thursday night offered positive signs even though the Mavericks were the Mavericks in name only.
J.J. Barea, Harrison Barnes, Devin Harris, Wesley Matthews, Josh McRoberts, Nerlens Noel and Dirk Nowitzki didn’t travel to Orlando because the Mavericks had played in Dallas on Wednesday night.
The Magic feasted against the Mavericks’ younger players for most of the game.
After they went 5 for 32 from 3-point range in their preseason opener Monday night, the Magic went 11 for 28 from beyond the arc against the Mavericks.
The Magic’s first unit also shared the ball well. By Vogel’s count, the starters recorded 13 assists on 17 baskets.
Gordon helped set the tone.
Early in the first quarter, he drove into the lane and passed to Vucevic on the perimeter for a wide-open 3 attempt. Vucevic missed the shot, but Gordon had made a smart play.
Gordon also supplied some of his trademark transition buckets. Several minutes into the third quarter, Jonathan Isaac stole the ball, igniting a Magic fastbreak. Gordon ended the break with a thunderous right-handed dunk.
“Like I said,” Gordon said, “there’s more to come.” jrobbins@ orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/ magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.