He was hailed as another Griffin when he debuted, and his dunks were more powerful than Griffin's, and although he did not win the Slam Dunk Contest championship, he was regarded as the uncrowned king of the Slam Dunk Contest in the hearts of many fans. The legendary dunk is now a crucial piece of the Nuggets' championship puzzle, a top defensive player for the Nuggets, and a significant contribution on the offensive end. The Nuggets reached the Finals, and Aaron Gordon is the Nuggets' third hero after Jokic and Murray. Gordon made a big transformation and his career became even brighter.
From World Junior MVP to Super Champion
At the 2013 Under-19 World Junior Championship, Aaron Gordon rose to fame as the United States swept all opponents to win the title, including Smart, Aaron Gordon, Jahir Okafor and Elfried Payton. Gordon was the best performer , averaging 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, beating Smart and Okafor to win the World Junior MVP honor. University of Florida coach Donovan, the coach of the U19 U.S. youth team, was full of praise for Aaron Gordon: "Aaron (Gordon) is tireless on the court, he covers the entire box, his body is like an endless energy, constantly crushing the opponent's interior and rushing for rebounds. ”
Gordon entered the draft in 2014 when Griffin was still in his prime. Aaron Gordon is known as "Little Griffin".
Aaron Gordon is 2 centimeters shorter than Griffin, but his arm span is longer than Griffin's, and both stand 2.67 meters tall. Gordon's athleticism is even better than Griffin's, with a body fat content of 8.5% when he entered the draft, and Aaron Gordon's only 5.2%, and his body muscles are stronger. Griffin's run-up height is 35.5 inches (about 0.90 meters), and Gordon's run-up jump height is 39 inches (about 0.99 meters), which is better than most outside players.
Such excellent physical condition makes him handy when dunking, and he can play whatever he wants. The aerial relay is almost essential for Aaron Gordon's race. He has good off-ball running skills, coupled with excellent explosiveness, and high altitude bombing is very lethal. With such flexibility, Gordon can play multiple positions. "Some coaches want me to play as a power forward, others want me to be a regular number three, and in fact I don't think I'm playing in a definite position." Gordon said.
After entering the NBA, Gordon became a regular player with the Magic, but his energy was not fully tapped. One impression he gave the outside world was that he was a detached general.
In the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest, Gordon and LaVine had a wonderful showdown, and the two experienced two playoffs, and the two scored perfect points many times. However, because there were too many playoffs, Gordon did not prepare more tricks, and eventually lost to LaVine. But Gordon's two sets of dunk moves were the biggest highlight of this dunk contest. One time he received the mascot's ball, turned the body with one hand and made the action of touching the back of the head with his left hand, and the other time he jumped over the mascot and changed hands under his legs.
In the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest, Gordon and Derek Jones Jr. had a wonderful showdown. Gordon got perfect points 5 times, and he played too many playoffs and used up all his tricks. In the final round, Wade scored Gordon to give Heat player Derek Jones Jr. a winner. Gordon missed the Slam Dunk Contest. But in the minds of countless people, Gordon is the uncrowned king of dunks and one of the best dunks in history.
The Nuggets bet on Gordon
The Nuggets traded for Gordon from the Magic in the middle of the 2020-21 season, trading Harris, Hampton and a first-round pick for Gordon, and signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension in 2021.
Admittedly, the Nuggets made the right bet on Gordon. Gordon is in the prime of his athlete age, and he is both offensive and defensive, making him a good fit to serve as Jokic's helper. This season, Gordon averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, shooting 56.4% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range, and Gordon scored the second highest point of his career and shot a new career high. Many of his roles on the pitch don't come across with basic statistics.
In this season's playoffs, Gordon played steadily, including the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, the Nuggets swept the opponent 4-0, Gordon played a big role. Gordon was responsible for defending James, and it worked very well. James only turned on full force mode in the fourth game, and in the other three games, James was somewhat suppressed.
In the fourth game, James turned on the all-out James mode, Gordon dared to confront the old Jen, and the two once clashed on the court, and the referee blew a technical foul on both sides. Gordon also guarded James in the final moments, he followed closely with James who rushed inside, and Murray assisted Gordon to shoot the ball. Zhan Huang's offense failed, and the Nuggets won the game. Gordon says he has done a lot of training: "Training around the night is just to score an important goal, play a crucial round, win an important game or a series. There's a lot of work involved. ”
In the Finals, Gordon will again play as a defensive tipper, defending Tatum or Jimmy Butler. Such a player any team would love. It's no wonder that Malone actively canvassed for Gordon in the middle of the season, but unfortunately he still failed to make the All-Star. The Nuggets only have one All-Star in Jokic, but Murray and Gordon actually have All-Star abilities.
"Now, if you're going to pick two All-Stars from our team, I mean Aaron Gordon in the discussion, and I think his impact on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends — offensive, defensive, rebounding, his shooting percentage, his shooting percentage — has broken records this year. It will definitely help him become a more complete and effective player. Nuggets coach Malone said in January.
It's just that Gordon's basic statistics are really not particularly prominent, and the Nuggets don't have the same popularity as the Warriors. In the 2020-21 season, Wiggins' numbers were not very prominent, but the Warriors' high popularity helped him become a starting All-Star. Gordon had no such opportunity. As for counting on being selected as an All-Star as a backup, Gordon needs to win more recognition from the outside world.
The playoffs are a stage for players to showcase their talents. Gordon showed his energy to the fullest.
Be a good helper by Jokic's side
The Nuggets brought in Gordon to make him an offensive and defensive player. When the Nuggets reached the Western Conference finals in 2020, the forward position was Jerami Grant. But the Nuggets failed to retain Grant in the summer of 2020, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Pistons. Grant later explained that he wanted more offensive opportunities. In other words, Grant was used as a defensive blue-collar worker in the Nuggets, and there were not many offensive opportunities. But when it comes to the Pistons, he gets more possession.
The Nuggets eventually traded for Gordon in the middle of the 2020-21 season, giving the team a defensive prowess in the forward position. Gordon wasn't good at defense when he was with the Magic, or he rarely had many opportunities to show his defensive prowess. The Magic are a bad team and the defense is terrible. Gordon alone can't support the team's defense. After coming to the Nuggets, Gordon positioned himself: "I want to be a glue man, I do a lot. Gordon wants to stick to opponents like glue on the defensive end, and that's exactly what the Nuggets want Gordon to do.
Gordon does a good job of defending, but Gordon's role is not only in defense, he also plays well on offense and passing. Gordon is good at fast attacks, he can attack with empty connections, and he can also attack without the ball. It can be said that Gordon's presence has enriched the Nuggets' offensive system.
Jokic is one of the best passers in the league, and his assist on Gordon's open catch is a big kill for the Nuggets. Of course, there is also Jokic's long pass, Gordon's fast-break dunk score, which is also a common offensive routine used by the Nuggets. "I think I use my body on the inside, and I like to run and score in transitions," Gordon said.
In the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals, Gordon fully demonstrated his ability, although James cut 40+ and opened the all-out James mode, but Gordon bombed 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks, 3-of-5 three-pointers, and the data is very comprehensive. Gordon didn't miss a single turnover, and the plus-minus was the second-highest +10 on the team.
"I think in the second half he stepped up and grabbed some rebounds and he was very physically confrontational. Even if he doesn't get the ball, he can contribute to the team. He also made some key three-pointers in the second half. He is very focused. Since the start of the playoffs, he's been doing his own thing in obscurity every game. He is very important to us. I really don't know how to praise him. Teammate Murray praised Gordon.
The Nuggets reached the Finals for the first time in history, four wins away from the championship. If the Celtics make it to the Finals, the Nuggets will have to count on Gordon to limit Tatum in the Finals.