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By John DentonApril 3, 2016
ORLANDO – When Aaron Gordon was coming out of college and preparing for the 2014 NBA Draft, his monstrous talents were quite apparent, but one question always followed him: Is he a small forward or a power forward?
For the Orlando Magic, Gordon has been both because of his diverse physical gifts and his ability to guard several different sized opposing players. Of late, however, he’s played strictly at the power forward position and he’s more than held his own.
At 6-foot-9 and 220-pounds, Gordon is usually giving away height and weight when starting at the power forward position – as he did Sunday while facing the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Zach Randolph. What he lacks in size, Gordon makes up for it with explosive leaping ability, wiry strength and a high basketball IQ. Other than a couple of instances this season, he’s been able to hold his own down low against bigger players.
“It doesn’t matter to me, honestly, with which guys I’m guarding as long as I go in knowing what I’m trying to do,” said Gordon, who had great success guarding the 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki and Atlanta power forward Paul Millsap earlier this season. “With a guy like (Chicago’s) Taj Gibson I was too relaxed at the beginning of (last Saturday’s) game and that’s something that you can’t do with the bigger (power forwards). So I have to come into those games knowing it’s going to be physical.
“I feel like I can match their strength, regardless of what they try to do,” Gordon said. “Some of them have more weight, but I feel I can match their strength.”
Magic head coach Scott Skiles moved Gordon into the starting lineup 36 games ago and the second-year forward has been able to hang onto the spot because of his toughness down low against bigger players. Gordon, who is averaging 11.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a starter, has 14 10-rebound games this season, including a career-best 16 boards against on Feb. 1 in San Antonio.
“He’s done a really nice job on some of the guys like (Atlanta’s Paul) Millsap – most of the guys, I should say. But then there’s been a couple of guys who have given him problems,” Skiles said. “Taj Gibson took him down low (last Saturday) night, but it wasn’t so much because of the size. Aaron is still learning the technique, knowing how to meet the (opposing) guy early and not letting him bury you under the basket. But we have felt pretty comfortable putting him on some of the bigger guys because he’s done a nice job there and he’s getting better.”
VOOCH OFF THE BENCH: When trying to decide whether to move standout center Nikola Vucevic back into the starting lineup or leave him in a reserve role on Sunday night, Skiles chose the latter because he said it would allow the starters to keep the rhythm they have developed over the past four games and it would make it easier for him to manage Vucevic’s minutes.
But maybe – just maybe – Vucevic’s somewhat shocking production and stellar efficiency while coming off the bench factored into Skiles’ decision.
In his four seasons in a Magic uniform, Vucevic has started 265 of the 268 games prior to Sunday night. In those three games off the bench – all coming this season as the 7-footer was bouncing back from injuries – he has averaged 21.3 points and 5.0 rebounds a game while shooting a stellar 72 percent.
Early in the season, a sprained knee kept Vucevic out three games, but he returned in a reserve role and scored 18 points – the final two coming on a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot from the left wing.
The standout center missed 13 games from March 7-30, but he returned on Thursday in Indiana and battered the Pacers with 24 points on 12 of 15 shooting. He played off the bench again on Friday in Milwaukee, making another 10 of 13 shots for 22 points against the Bucks.
V.O. TO GIVE IT A GO: It usually takes a lot to knock Victor Oladipo out of action, and the guard wasn’t about to let a mild ankle sprain keep him out of Sunday night’s game against the Grizzlies.
Oladipo has missed seven games this season, but most of them were because of injuries – such as a concussion and a badly sprained right wrist – that would have kept most players out longer.
Oladipo rolled his ankle midway through Friday’s 113-110 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but no one ever would have known it considering that he didn’t miss a beat in the game and was as active as every in filling up the stat sheet. Not only did Oladipo have 18 points, five assists and three rebounds against the Bucks, he also equaled a career high with four blocked shots and matched another career best with five steals.
The Magic activated seldom-used guard Shabazz Napier on Sunday night, but that was only because veteran guard C.J. Watson was unable to play because of a sprained ankle.
