It may not be an exaggeration to say that one of the biggest X-factors in the 2022 Western Conference playoffs will be the play of Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets have a lot of question marks from an injury perspective to two of their top players. Point guard Jamal Murray is still on the mend from an ACL tear he suffered just over a year ago.
Small forward Michael Porter Jr. is attempting to make a return to the court from a back injury. It’s unclear whether one, both, or neither player will be in the lineup, and even if they are, it is more uncertain as to how much they will be able to contribute. Gordon has had a solid season for the Nuggets, but his production in the playoffs may be the difference as to whether the team wins a round, or gets knocked out early.
Aaron Gordon – Childhood
Aaron Addison Gordon was born on September 16, 1995, in San Jose, California to parents Ed Gordon and Shelly Davis Gordon. Young Aaron did not have to look far to find athletic role models. Ed Gordon played college basketball at San Diego State, and was briefly an NFL player with the New England Patriots, despite limited football exposure. Gordon also had two older siblings who were involved in sports as well. His brother, Drew Gordon, played his college basketball at UCLA and got into nine games for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2014-2015 season. Aaron Gordon’s sister, Elise Gordon, was also a talented basketball player who was a center for Harvard. As it turned out, his sister would end up being his manager during the early part of Aaron Gordon’s NBA career.
Aaron Gordon was also a huge fan of former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant. He would watch Bryant take command of the game at Oracle Arena, the closest NBA venue to where he grew up. In addition to being athletically inclined, Gordon also liked to challenge himself intellectually. He was part of a chess club growing up, and still plays to this day.
Aaron Gordon -High School
Aaron Gordon’s high school career at Archbishop Mitty was electric from the very beginning. The supreme athleticism he brought to the table in the NBA is the same bounce he led Mitty with. As a freshman, Gordon wasted no time making an impact, starting in 28 games and averaging 11.8 points per game with 10.1 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game.
Gordon’s rim rocking dunks and superior hops would continue to be a theme throughout the remainder of high school, and Archbishop Mitty would benefit greatly from it. The team would go on to win the state championship in his sophomore and junior seasons and made his presence felt in that first title game especially when Gordon reeled in 21 rebounds. His performance would allow him to be named Mr. Basketball for the state of California as a junior, which hadn’t been done since Tyson Chandler in 2000 and Jason Kidd in 1991.
Archbishop Mitty ended up with a runner-up finish in the state title game when Gordon was a senior, but the dynamic player would end up taking home another Mr. Basketball honor to finish out his high school career. In ESPN’s top 100 college basketball prospect rankings for the Class of 2013, Gordon was fourth in the country, behind the likes of Julius Randle, Jabari Parker, and Andrew Wiggins. He had most college programs in the country obsessed with bringing him to their campus. The funny thing is, Gordon said years later that if the NBA allowed prospects to enter the league straight from high school, he would have made the leap.
Aaron Gordon -College
However, league rules prohibited Gordon from going right to the NBA from high school, so he needed to make a decision about where he would play before the pros. Aaron Gordon decided to take his talents to the Pac-12 conference, and committed to the University of Arizona. Arizona athletics were once again starting to become a factor on the west coast and in college basketball as a whole, as head coach Sean Miller was stringing together strong recruiting classes year after year. He brought in Derrick Williams for the 2009-2010 season, and recruiting Gordon —a surefire top-five NBA Draft pick— helped the program regain its footing.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Gordon would only spend one season in Tucson playing for the Wildcats, but he certainly made the most of it. The San Jose product averaged team-highs in rebounds, and highlight plays. He posted eight double-doubles during the season and helped Arizona go 33-5 in the 2013-2014 campaign.
Despite an Elite 8 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, Gordon arguably had one of his better games in defeat. His shot was not falling that night, but he cleaned the glass for the Wildcats in a big way, hauling in 18 rebounds. He was determined to make an impact on the game somehow, even if it wasn’t in the scoring column. He was named an All-American Third Team member by The Sporting News.
Aaron Gordon -Orlando Magic
While his shooting touch would need to improve in order for him to reach his full potential, Aaron Gordon’s ceiling as a potential NBA prospect seemingly had no limit. His athleticism was through the roof, and if his skills caught up even remotely, he had the makings of a future star. Having gone through some lean years since the Dwight Howard trade, the Orlando Magic were in need of some excitement to help reinvigorate the franchise.
With the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the team selected the vibrant Gordon to help spark them. Unfortunately for the player and the team, the former Wildcat did not get off to a tremendous start. As he was getting acclimated to the NBA game during his rookie season, he suffered a stress fracture in his foot that would cause him to miss two months of action. To add to the difficult circumstances, the Magic decided to fire head coach Jacque Vaughn during the middle of the year, replacing him with interim coach James Borrego to close out the campaign.
With a clean slate in his second year, Gordon started to improve with the Magic. However, most people will remember his 2015-2016 for his performance in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The former Archbishop Mitty star had a breathtaking showing, throwing down finishes that fans had never seen before. In a highly controversial result, Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves was deemed the winner, even though many felt that Gordon had done enough to win.
It was unlikely that Gordon would ever become a knockdown shooter, but his effectiveness and touch did get better throughout his time with the Magic. With added responsibility and a higher frequency of attempts, Gordon increased his three-point proficiency to 33 percent in the 2017-2018 campaign, where he would average a career-high 17.6 points. Considering the improvement he had made, Orlando felt confident enough to re-sign Gordon to a four-year, $84 million contract in the 2018 offseason.
Aaron Gordon’s statistical output for the remainder of his time in Orlando was nothing to sneeze at. He was a well-rounded player who wasn’t exceptional at any one facet of the game but wasn’t a liability anywhere either. Expectations for him due to where he was drafted, however, left some to consider him a bust. The team was able to make the playoffs a couple of times under head coach Steve Clifford, but the franchise did not take significant steps towards contention with Gordon as one of its key pieces.
Aaron Gordon -Denver Nuggets
As a result, the Magic were compelled to move Gordon in an effort to reset their team once again. Orlando eventually sent him to the Denver Nuggets in return for a 2025 1st-round pick, Gary Harris, and R.J. Hampton.
It would be an interesting career development for Gordon, who had been relied on as the focal point of the offense in Orlando. In Denver, he would be far from that, as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were the primary facilitators. The Nuggets would be looking for Gordon to give them a boost defensively and add some athleticism to a team that could use some in the highly competitive Western Conference.
As a result, Gordon’s statistics took a bit of a predictable turn. While he averaged fewer points on fewer shot attempts, his field goal percentage has risen dramatically since he’s been with the Nuggets. He’s shooting over 50 percent from the field, thanks to the easier looks he’s getting in the Mile High City.
Aaron Gordon -NBA Future
Due to the injuries in Denver, Aaron Gordon’s role this season has shifted slightly back to more of what he was doing with Orlando. While Jokic initiates the offense, the ball is in Gordon’s hands more due to the makeup of the team, and he has been highly efficient in that setting.
The 26-year-old figures to be in Denver for several years as the franchise looks to get over the hump. Denver signed him to an extension last September that will see his contract elapse after the 2024-2025 season. Gordon then has a player option at $22 million for the 2025-2026 year. It does not seem like Gordon will reach the lofty expectations many had for him in the NBA individually, but he still has a chance to be a supremely valuable member of a contending team.
How many 3s does Aaron Gordon Average?
Aaron Gordon has 3.5 three-pointer attempts per game with a 33.5% accuracy.
Is Aaron Gordon good?
Gordon shot like an absolute stud from the field this year, nailing a career high 52.0% of his shots. He was equally impressive from beyond the arc, knocking down a career third best 33.5% of his three pointers. This led to some ridiculous true shooting and effective field goal percentages, both of which bested the league average by a significant margin.
How many All Stars does Aaron Gordon have?
He never made an All Star. It’s hard to believe that Aaron Gordon has never been an All-Star, given how well he’s been playing for the Denver Nuggets. He’s a well-rounded player who can carry his weight but he never was exceptional at any given aspect of the game, which may be the reason.
