Revisiting Aaron Gordon

[NUMBERICA]

"The Jazz should use the asset that they acquired through having the most miserable season in 30 years to acquire a guy that no one has said can or likely will be able to score a basketball on his own or help others to, in a draft where players that are projected to be able to play basketball will still be on the board. Because Aaron Gordon can jump and run."

-morons

 

[Stifle Tower]

I'm not sure what there is to smokescreen, really.

Vonleh has massive potential as a 2 way player, can likely come right in and rebound, will eventually get the opportunity to stretch the floor to work with a low post big or rim protector, wingspan/hand size, good handles for a big etc etc. His knock is he's going to be somewhat of a project and he's likely not much of a leader. Or at least not vocally, at this stage.

Gordon is what he is going to be, IMO, in a lot of ways. Some very good and some very bad. The kid is a freak athlete, is a highlight reel above the rim, will be a really good defender etc. Obviously where he falls short is a real roll offensively outside of putbacks and hustle plays. And then there's his FT%. A lot of people that like him and want him on the Jazz say "I think he can fix that". I can think of very few examples of guys coming into the league and fixing something like that. And if they did, they didn't start as bad as AG is. And this isn't college. If it's a mental thing, how is an NBA stadium and pressure going to ease that.......82 games a season?


I like AG, I think he'd be fun to watch. I just don't like him anywhere near 5, and that's not a smokescreen, it's reality.

See my avatar!

 

[Markusj]

I got enamored with gordon cause i watched him play in a few games and i was very impressed by him.

What was it that made you impressed with him? I watched a dozen + Zona games this season and I'm just not seeing anything that impresses me other then he's a great athlete.

 

[fishonjazz]

What was it that made you impressed with him? I watched a dozen + Zona games this season and I'm just not seeing anything that impresses me other then he's a great athlete.

Always in the right place. Good vision. Getting deflections. Always the quickest guy to the loose ball. Played with more energy and higher motor than everyone else on the court. Smart. Unselfish. Good passer. Good defender. Good rebounder. Seemed to be everywhere on the court. Always seemed to be communicating with teammate, telling them and pointing to them where to go (leadership qualities)







Oh ya, and he can jump high too, which is nice

 

[Game6Conley]

The Mailman turned himself from a .500 FT shooter his rookie year to a 75% shooter by hard work. Mr. Gordon could do the same.

Jordan Farmar and Patty Mills turned themselves from mid to low 30's 3pt shooter in college to low 40's in the pros, should we project the same for Tyler Ennis? i dont see how that type of logic holds any weight.

Malone was also in the mid 50's to 60 range FT shooting in college.

Mid 40's is a tier below that, its historically bad. to discount it as an indicator is a total joke. id say mid 40's should almost be hard to do.

Chris Dudley i think is the 2nd worst career FT% player around 44% (2nd to Ben Wallace iirc)

look at Dudley's form...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St8sfKkszZ0

now i could see why someone would jump to the conclusion of well his form isnt that bad, he will improve. But why was his FT shooting that awful.. it's naive to think it was just because of his form, its mental, which to me is a bad sign... to me it looks like his FT shooting is bad enough where it could discourage him a bit.

the way i see it, Aaron Gordon's FT shooting is the closest thing you will find to a Red-flag in this lottery

 

[Stifle Tower]

First off, I'm a Vonleh supporter.
But to suggest Gordon's FT shooting can't/won't improve is nonsense. As already cited, some players like Malone improved their percentage immensely. And some didn't (like Shaq). I think AG has already taken the first step by tearing down his form and deciding to shot FT's more in line with how he does FG's. I'd be ok with the Gordon pick, although I think Vonleh is a tier above.

 

[Game6Conley]

I didnt say his FT shooting wont improve, itd be hard not to. I just think its a very ugly indicator for him to have good form and those kind of results, theirs got to be something mental. i worry he feels a bit defeated at the FT line and i worry about if he got off to a bad start from the line the first 10-20 games would it affect him? it certainly will be talked about... and in the 4th quarter i dont see why teams wouldnt hack-a-shaq him.

Also that FT% really makes me question the quality of that 35% 3pt% in college and how it translates to the Pro's. How many players are good or decent 3point shooters but bad from the FT line?

 

[NUMBERICA]

Of course his FT shooting CAN improve. A lot of things CAN happen. People citing what IS reality are not the wrong ones.

 

[fishonjazz]

Also that FT% really makes me question the quality of that 35% 3pt% in college and how it translates to the Pro's. How many players are good or decent 3point shooters but bad from the FT line?

Bruce bowen is one name that comes to my mind

 

[Bodhi]

Like PG-AB said, comparing what Malone did to what AG could do isn't even the same thing. To go to hard stats Malone shot .631 FT% in college and .571 his senior year. Bad? Yeah, AG bad? Not even close.

.422%..........guys. That's the diff between a .710 guy and a .859 guy (AG to Karl). In that comparison, one guy is decent, the other is elite. That's the diff between AG and Karl. So please stop with that.

 

[Hotdog]

"The Jazz should use the asset that they acquired through having the most miserable season in 30 years to acquire a guy that no one has said can or wiely will be able to score a basketball on his own or help others to, in a draft where players that are projected to be able to play basketball will still be on the board. Because Aaron Gordon can jump and run."

-morons

This is a dumb statement. You just simplified it to fit your belief. You make it seem as though is only discernible skill is running and jumping. Which by the way is a pretty big deal in professional sports in case you haven't heard.

Aaron will certainly be better than you are implying he will be.

 

[Game6Conley]

Bruce bowen is one name that comes to my mind

an undrafted player. they're out there, but few and far between.

call me unreasonable but i put plenty of weight into FT shooting, I want my Big's to shoot 70% from the line, a wing player getting heavy minutes and shooting around 50% just isn't all that appealing to me. When talking about using the 5th pick in the draft (to one of the worst offenses in the league), i think its a bit ridiculous or like PKM said "Gimmicky".