2017-18 Orlando Magic Breakout Player: Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon was taken with the 4th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Heading into his fourth year in the association, Gordon only recently turned 22-years old. He burst onto the national stage in the 2016 NBA Dunk Contest with a series of superhuman slams. Anyone watching could recognize Gordon’s combination of athleticism and power. But that combination hasn’t exactly translated to the regular season yet.
Last year, Gordon enjoyed his best season yet scoring 12.7 points and grabbing 5.1 rebounds per contest. So what’s next for the 22 year old? Vogel should look to No. 00 for a bigger contribution on offense this season without Serge Ibaka, who scored 15.1 points per game in his 56 games for Orlando.
Something like 17 points and seven rebounds would be enough to qualify as a breakout, as long as he shoots better from deep and the team wins more games.
After a breakout year, the next question would be whether the Orlando Magic will re-sign Gordon and for how much. Unless he signs the one-year, $ 7 million qualifying offer, the most he could hope for is a contract in the four-year, $80 million range. Are the Magic ready to make him their highest paid player? Is Aaron Gordon ready to earn that contract?