Gordon was traded to the Nuggets ahead of the 2021 NBA trade deadline, promptly finding a fit with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic the Western Conference contenders after spending the beginning of his career as the face of the Orlando Magic.

The fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and three-time Slam Dunk Contest participant, Gordon has become more known for his high-wire act than his proficiency as a basketball player.

However, Gordon’s defensive pressure and his diverse offensive skillset allow him to be a significant piece of the Nuggets’ rotation, as evidenced by the team winning their first seven games with him on the roster and 12 out their first 15.

Gordon has also struck up a close friendship with Denver’s youngest star, Michael Porter Jr., another player deemed to be key to the Nuggets’ championship hopes. While less of a factor than his overall fit with the club, this also likely played a part in Denver’s decision to extend Gordon’s contract, particularly with them currently working on a contract extension for MPJ.

Now approaching his eighth season in the NBA, Gordon holds career averages of 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

The post REPORT: Aaron Gordon Agrees to Four-Year, $92 Million Extension with Nuggets appeared first on SLAM.

In return for Gordon, Denver traded Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a future first-round pick to Orlando. This was a move the clearly indicated they wanted him as part of their core long-term. 

With that in mind, Mike Singer of The Denver Post recently reported that the Nuggets and Gordon share optimism about a potential contract extension with a deal possibly being reaching within the next few days.

He is is eligible for a four-year, $88 million extension, but Singer reports that a deal could be for two or three years at an at $20 million to $21 million per season. 

At 25 years old, Gordon is entering the final year of his current four-year, $80 million deal as a member of the Nuggets. 

The post Nuggets, Aaron Gordon Optimistic On Extension In Near Future appeared first on SLAM.

More recently, they’ve taken things to a whole new level. This has been a direct result of their trade deadline acquisition of Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic. While the Nuggets gave up quite a bit to acquire the forward, it’s paid off in a big way. Denver is now 6-0 with Aaron Gordon in the active lineup.

Gordon does so many things on the floor. While he’s not necessarily elite at any particular part of the game, he’s solid everywhere and does everything for the Nuggets. Additionally, the connection between him and superstar center Nikola Jokic has clicked from their first game together. 

In his six games with the Nuggets, Gordon has averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per games while shooting an efficient .608 from deep. 

The post Nuggets Winners of Six Straight with Aaron Gordon in Lineup appeared first on SLAM.

The Nuggets will send the Magic shooting guard Gary Harris, point guard R.J. Hampton and a top-5 protected 2025 first-round pick (per ESPN’s Zach Lowe), while Orlando will also send forward Gary Clark as part of the deal.

This trade is perfect for both teams, with Orlando acquiring two young players that excel defensively while rebuilding under head coach Steve Clifford.

Hampton, a charismatic rookie selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has length and athleticism that allows him to play both guard and wing spots. He’ll join a fresh and promising backcourt in Orlando that already has Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony.

Harris, a seven-year veteran, has a chance to re-establish himself as an offensive threat in Orlando. However, while injury-prone, Harris is already one of the league’s most notable perimeter defenders.

Denver, whose defensive deficiencies have been a talking point for the better part of the season, cures their ailment with the addition of a versatile and explosive athlete in Gordon.

Gordon is averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.8 blocks per game this season, shooting .437 percent from the field and .375 percent from 3-point range.

The post Nuggets Make Splash Trade, Pry Aaron Gordon from Magic appeared first on SLAM.

One of those teams that will be active this week is the Denver Nuggets. According to the Denver Post’s Mike Singer, the Nuggets have expressed interest in trading for the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon and Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes.

Gordon is in his seventh season in the NBA, all with the Magic, and he’s matured into an excellent player over the years. Gordon is averaging 12.9 points, 2.5 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game over his career, and this season he is averaging 14.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game. Gordon has also taken a major leap as a shooter this season, shooting a career-best 39.3 percent from the three-point range this season.

Barnes has proven himself one of the best two-way wings in the league over the past few seasons. Barnes has been in the NBA for nine years with three teams, averaging 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game over his career. This year, Barnes is putting up 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 36.9 percent from the three-point range.

Both Gordon and Barnes would bring a defensive ability to the Nuggets team that could use pieces to improve on that end, ranking 16th in defensive ranking in the NBA with a 112.3. They’d also provide additional shooting to a team already fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage, holding a 38.8 percent as a team.

The Nuggets currently hold a record of 26-17 and are fifth in the Western Conference.

The NBA’s trade deadline is this Thursday, March 25, at 3 p.m. ET.

The post Nuggets Interested In Acquiring Aaron Gordon and Harrison Barnes appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon, 25-years-old, is averaging 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.8 blocks per game this season while shooting a career-high .368 percent from 3-point range. The fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, his current contract is set to expire after the 2021-22 season.

Denver has interest in Orlando forward Aaron Gordon ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline, league sources told The Denver Post, and the Nuggets need to assess on-court fit and whether he’s a player capable of vaulting them past some of the other Western Conference powers.

Singer adds that the Nuggets completing a trade for Gordon is unlikely given that the deadline is just around the corner. That being said, teams looking to add Gordon are expected to surrender at least young one player and a draft pick.

If it was March Madness, the Nuggets would have been one of the Cinderella teams of the 2020 NBA Playoffs with their historical comeback performances against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in consecutive rounds.

This season, the Nuggets’ have achieved national relevance only to get off to a slow start that highlighted their offseason loss of forward Jerami Grant while putting their burgeoning Big Three of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the spotlight.

Now 24-16, tied for the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, Denver has caught it’s stride in recent weeks thanks to the improved play of Murray and Porter. Adding Gordon, who could replicate Grant’s 2019-20 role as a tertiary scorer and versatile defender, may be what puts the Nuggets over the top during the second half of 2020-21.

The post Aaron Gordon on Nuggets’ Radar Ahead of Trade Deadline appeared first on SLAM.

While there are a few teams on the trading chopping block, most are willing to make upgrades within specific positions even if that means cutting ties with veterans — the Orlando Magic has entered the chat.

With only guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathon Isaac deemed “untouchable” by Orlando, veterans Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and All-Star Nikola Vucevic are on the Magic’s trade block (per Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix).

The 22-year-old Fultz has experienced a career resurgence in Orlando, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 assists per game in two seasons with the Magic while starting in 68 of 80 contests.

Isaac, who will miss the 2020-21 season with a torn ACL, averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals in the 2019-20 season.

13-26, Orlando is likely ready to fully re-tool, as each of Gordon, Fournier and Vucevic were acquired by the Magic before they hired Jeff Weltman to be their president of basketball operations in 2017.

Mannix adds that Magic head coach Steve Clifford has a particular fondness for Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker.

Walker, who has averaged 18.0 points and 4.5 assists per game this season, would make a nice addition to Orlando.

This trade shouldn’t be ruled out, as the Celtics have a host of draft picks in their arsenal, along with a $28.5 million trade exception. In addition, Walker continues to struggle with his efficiency in Beantown, shooting just .388 from the floor this season.

Boston has long been reported to have their sights set on Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes as well, although the Kings haven’t shown a willingness to move the veteran leader.

The post Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac Are Magic’s Only ‘Untouchable’ Players appeared first on SLAM.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the first step towards this could be acquiring a solid power forward. He recently reported that Minnesota has shown interest in power forwards around the league, including Atlanta’s John Collins and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon. With that in mind, both Gordon and Collins have significant asking prices in the marketplace.

On paper, Minnesota already has an extremely talented young core with D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Malik Beasley and Anthony Edwards. While it’s unclear if one of these core pieces would have to be moved to acquire Gordon or Collins, they would both be excellent fits with the Timberwolves. 

An efficient, productive power forward would do Minnesota a lot of good, especially on the defensive end of the floor where Karl-Anthony Towns has proven to struggle a bit. As the upcoming trade deadline approaches, it appears that the Minnesota Timberwolves could be active on the market. 

The post Timberwolves Targeting John Collins, Aaron Gordon Ahead of Trade Deadline appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon likely sustained the injury while dribbling up the court against Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson during Orlando’s loss to Toronto on Jan. 31. The Magic, battling for playoff position, have already lost forward Jonathan Isaac and guard Markelle Fultz for the season.

A top-five draft pick in 2014, Gordon has been having his best all-around season, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per game while knocking down a career-high .369 percent of his 3-point attempts. The Magic, 8-13, have a net rating of +5.1 points per 100 possession with Gordon on the court.

With Gordon’s recovery timeline taken into account, he may not suit up for Orlando until the second half of the NBA schedule is released.

The post Aaron Gordon Out 4-6 Weeks With Severe Ankle Sprain appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon just dropped the debut single off his upcoming rap album (above). The track, “LVL UP,” features Moe (an artist signed to Epic Records) and is meant to inspire others to improve in every aspect, becoming the best they can be and leveling up their own lives in the face of adversity. Gordon’s work ethic and perseverance to reach the NBA shine a light to motivate people.

While a release date for the full album (“All Good”) has not yet been revealed, you can expect to hear more motivating lyrics that will make you want to grind harder.

Gordon used his time in quarantine to sharpen and really pursue his musical aspirations. Back in April, he put out his first song, “Pull Up,” which also featured Moe. Around the time of that initial release, Gordon said there was a lot more to come and hinted at a project for September.

It appears that he put his heart into the music and is keeping his word. Tune in.

—

Charlie Desadier is an intern at SLAM. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Aaron Gordon Releases New Single ‘LVL UP’ appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon hasn’t played for the Magic since Aug. 5, so his absence won’t leave the team any more shorthanded than they have been but that’s one less voice on the bench and in the locker room.

Of course Gordon officially leaving the bubble would mean that he’d need to quarantine upon his return if anything drastic changed. Given that the Magic are down 1-3 in their first-round series with the powerhouse Bucks it’s unlikely that this would be the case.

There was no major damage to Gordon’s left hamstring when he was initially evaluated but the string of DNPs that have followed since could indicate that the franchise has reason to be cautious.

Gordon saw his role with the Magic reduced slightly this season, the 14.4 points per game he averaged this year were the fewest he’s logged since 2016-17, but he remains under contract through the 2021-22 season.

The post Aaron Gordon Leaves Bubble Due to Hamstring Injury appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon put out a “diss” track in response to Wade’s inexplicably low score as a judge during February’s controversial dunk contest.

The 24-year-old Orlando Magic forward says everything is cool between the two of them.

Per ESPN:

Wade was one of three judges — along with Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen and actor Chadwick Boseman — who gave Gordon a score of 9 during the dunk-off, resulting in Gordon losing the title to Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr.

“I hear that and I kinda just am like, I think that was a response to the diss track without going back into the studio,” Gordon said. “So I take it with a little pinch of salt. But it’s really cool, man. Me and D-Wade, we talked a little bit about it — he told me he liked the song; I told him I liked his wine. So everything’s good.”

Gordon, 24, said making the song helped him process the event.

“People would ask me for it, so I just gave the people what they wanted, just my perspective,” he said. “I had to talk a lot about my opinion and my perspective on the dunk contest, so I thought this was a fun, creative, expressive, uplifting way to voice my opinion and tell the world what I was going through and what I was seeing on that day.”

Related Pat Riley: Heat Drafted Dwyane Wade after a ‘Horrible Workout’

The post Aaron Gordon: No Beef With Dwyane Wade Following Diss Track appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon joins previous commits Dwight Howard and Derrick Jones Jr. in the competition. All three confirmed participants have been in the dunk contest previously, with Howard rocking a title from 2008.

Earlier this month we wrote about Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant declining his own invitation to the contest.

Another player in the mix for the contest who has neither confirmed or denied is Bulls guard Zach LaVine. LaVine’s portfolio as an electric dunker speaks for itself but his narrow victory over Gordon in one of the league’s most memorable contests ever makes for a juicy potential side plot for 2020.

The post Aaron Gordon Commits To Slam Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

The Orlando Magic have been without star forward Aaron Gordon since he sprained his ankle against the Toronto Raptors last week but the 24-year-old is making progress in his recovery.

According to John Denton of the team’s official site, Gordon returned to a full practice on Tuesday and had his status for Wednesday’s game formally upgrade to ‘doubtful’.

The Magic will monitor how Gordon reacts to the Tuesday practice but won’t play him during the Wednesday night tilt against the Cavaliers. The team hosts the Raptors in Orlando on Friday night.

Gordon has had a relatively quiet season this year, averaging just 13.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game after a 2018-19 campaign on 16.0 and 7.4, but he’s a valuable depth piece on a team with multiple weapons.

The club will welcome the high flyer back to the lineup and hope for yet another healthy campaign out of him. Gordon has played at least 78 games in three of the past four seasons.

The post Aaron Gordon Progressing After Ankle Sprain appeared first on SLAM.

DSJ was in the 305 the week before with Remy and his Knicks squad.

The post Dennis Smith Jr DROPPED 50 Points vs. Aaron Gordon & Kevin Porter Jr? 👀 appeared first on SLAM.

Watch the latest episode of Yerrr or Nahhh above!

RELATED: D’Angelo Russell Plays SLAM YERRR or NAHHH

The post Aaron Gordon’s Back in the 2020 Dunk Contest? 😈 SLAM YERRR or NAHHH appeared first on SLAM.

Continuing with Kobes, Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped a triple-double in a red colorway of the Nike Kobe A.D. Exodus and Kelly Oubre Jr. went with the coveted Nike Zoom Kobe 4 “Prelude” and DeMar DeRozan hit the floor in a lowkey Nike Kobe 11 Elite Low.

Aaron Gordon and Markieff Morris represented for Foamposite fans as Gordon donned the all-black Nike Zoom Rookie LWP and Morris suited up in the “Fighter Jet” Nike Air Foamposite One.

Catch the rest of Sunday’s NBA kicks in our gallery below.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

Potential offer sheet target for Indiana Pacers' anticipated $20M-plus in salary cap space, league sources tell ESPN: Orlando Magic restricted free agent forward Aaron Gordon.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2018

Gordon, who is only 22 years old, is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season Orlando Magic.

The Magic could offer Gordon a five-year, $148 million contract and could match any team’s offer sheet that Gordon were to sign.

Related:
Aaron Gordon Seeking a Max Contract

The post Report: Indiana Pacers Targeting Aaron Gordon appeared first on SLAM.

Aaron Gordon's vision of an "ideal" contract in restricted free agency is a max deal. Story with video: https://t.co/ahVqxrfTZg.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 13, 2018

Gordon, 22, says it would be an “ideal” arrangement and hopes Orlando’s front-office agrees.

The Magic could offer Gordon—coming off averages of 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 58 games—a five-year, $148 million deal as of July 1.

Per the Orlando Sentinel:

“Ideal is max,” Gordon answered, referring to a maximum-salary contract. “God, that would be ideal: three letters.”

“Here?” the reporter asked, referring to the Magic.

“Yeah, definitely here,” Gordon said. “That would be ideal. If [General Manager] John [Hammond] and [President of Basketball Operations] Jeff [Weltman] made that investment, that would be definitely ideal: get those three letters on my name.”

The post Aaron Gordon Seeking a Max Contract appeared first on SLAM.

But as the ball was in the air, the clock started prematurely and the buzzer sounded.

According to officiating regulations, a clock malfunction when no team has clear possession results in a jump ball at center court:

The ruling effectively eliminated any chance the Magic had of stealing the victory.

Afterwards, Gordon called for the NBA to change the rule, saying they feel “cheated,” via ESPN:

“We feel cheated…They gave them the game… It’s just a terrible end to a game of basketball. They didn’t even give us a chance to win. And that’s the last time we see them [the Lakers]. We have to wait a year to play them again. They [the NBA] have gotta change that rule, and I think they will.”

Orlando head coach Frank Vogel agreed with Gordon:

“They took the ball from us and made it a jump ball with 0.6 seconds, which kills any chance of us tying the game or winning the game. I don’t know. It’s just common sense would tell me that in that situation, the clock started early, that you do redo the possession. They felt otherwise.”

RELATED
Report: Magic Gauging Trade Market on Aaron Gordon

The post Aaron Gordon On End Of Magic-Lakers: ‘We Feel Cheated’ appeared first on SLAM.

According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, the Mavericks, Pacers, and Suns are expected to pursue the 22-year-old Gordon:

League sources told Sporting News this week that the Suns are expected to be suitors for Gordon, who starred at Arizona for one memorable season. Phoenix has ample cap room and a roster in need of more proven players. Another team with interest in Gordon, according to sources, would be the rebuilding Mavericks, who have been eager to find a budding star to fill in alongside Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr., softening the blow of Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement, which could come in just months.

The Pacers intend to investigate restricted free agents, too, hoping to add young talent to an improving roster. Still, if any team makes a formal offer, the Magic can match it.

The Magic test the market for Gordon around the trade deadline, but ended up not finding the right deal.

RELATED
WATCH: Every Dunk From The 2017 Dunk Contest

The post Report: Suns, Mavericks, Pacers Expected To Pursue Aaron Gordon This Offseason appeared first on SLAM.

Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is expected to replace Orlando’s Aaron Gordon in the dunk contest on NBA All-Star weekend, league sources tell ESPN. Gordon withdrew with a hip injury.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2018

A strained hip flexor forced Gordon to withdraw from what would have been his third consecutive Dunk Contest.

Aaron Gordon will not play tonight in Miami because of his strained hip flexor, and he also has withdrawn from the All-Star dunk contest, the team announced.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) February 5, 2018

RELATED:
Donovan Mitchell Drops 40 Points For Second Time This Season

The post Donovan Mitchell To Replace Aaron Gordon in 2018 Slam Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

According to The Athletic‘s Michael Scotto, the Magic are “quietly gauging” the trade market for the 22-year-old restricted free agent to-be.

Analysis: Breaking down the NBA trade deadline possibilities, team-by-team by @MikeAScotto https://t.co/fSA19Oa3tc #NBA #Cavs #NBATradeDeadline

— The Athletic Cleveland / Columbus (@TheAthleticCLE) February 2, 2018

Via HoopsHype:

The new regime of Jeff Weltman and John Hammond has left no stone unturned with the deadline approaching, including quietly gauging the trade market on Aaron Gordon, league sources told The Athletic.

RELATED:
Aaron Gordon Has Evolved Into an All-Around Threat (SLAM 213)

The post Report: Magic Gauging Trade Market on Aaron Gordon appeared first on SLAM.

“That’s the difference between me [now] and that Aaron back there,” he says. “I was really impatient with myself. I wanted to be so perfect all the time.”

AG was hardly an unknown player back then. A consensus top-5 prospect, Gordon had practically every college vying for his commitment. Before he ever stepped foot in Tucson, he was already a projected lottery pick in NBA mock drafts. And before he was in SLAM, Gordon’s highlight mixtape had already gone viral on YouTube. His reel of thunderous jams fueled his rep as a dunker. It’s a perception that AG says he inadvertently helped create.

“I think every high school kid these days wants a mixtape,” he explains. “When you saw the camera, you were going to make sure you showed out so you could have a sick mixtape at the end of the year.”

To this day, Gordon’s highlights—usually of the earth-shattering, monster jam variety—fail to do him justice as a complete player. “There’s tons of aspects of my game that get overlooked because the highlights are so high,” he says.

***

Patience. Gordon tapes a bag of ice over his sore ankle. Mindfulness.

“It’s definitely go-time,” says Gordon, as he takes care of his sore ankle, “but at the same time, you got to continue to be mindful.”

After an impressive (and healthy) preseason, Gordon came down awkwardly on Heat center Hassan Whiteside’s foot in Orlando’s season-opener two nights ago. Just when AG was ready to run out of the gate, the Basketball Gods had other plans.

Beat writers ask how he’s feeling.

“Meh,” Gordon says with a smile. “We’ll see once it gets closer to game time.”

Given how long we’ve known AG, it’s easy to forget he just turned 22. He’s younger than Laker rookie Kyle Kuzma and nearly three years younger than 2017 ROY Malcolm Brogdon. He answers questions with a mature demeanor that belies his years. Patience. Mindfulness.

“That was the big thing [this summer],” AG says. “I’ve always been so impatient with myself. I just worked on patience.”

It’s this maturity, this hyper self-awareness, that made Gordon’s breakout potential so great this season. He’s on the short list of everyone’s Most Improved candidates. As Gordon told NBA.com during the preseason, “There’s still no ceiling for me.”

His numbers so far have backed it up, averaging 17.4 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 43 percent from three in 32.3 mpg as we went to press. The shooting numbers were by far the most encouraging. A career 29 percent three-point shooter before this season, AG knows improving his jumper will make the rest of his game easier.

“I feel like a different player,” AG says. “More confident, more efficient, more compact. Better. I feel better.”

***

So who’s Aaron Gordon the player? It’s perplexed fans since he entered the L. Defensively, he has some of Draymond Green’s versatility, anticipation and ability to guard any position; physically, he resembles a young Shawn Marion. Offensively, AG entered the League very raw, but he’s shown great progress. Clearly confident in his abilities, he told NBA.com before the season, “I’m looking to be the best in the NBA at some point in my career.”

Whether Gordon will become the best in the NBA remains to be seen. But it’s more likely—dare we say a solid bet—he becomes the best damn X-factor in the League.

Gordon has always had the tools of a modern defensive juggernaut: a player with a 7-foot wingspan, elite motor and athleticism. He’s one of only a handful of players versatile enough to guard every position—from James Harden to Boogie Cousins.

Offensively, his game is far more diverse than his rim-rattling highlights give him credit for. He’s always excelled in transition and on offensive putbacks. But here’s what doesn’t show up on your Twitter feed…

AG can bully smaller defenders in the post, blow by bigger defenders off the dribble, pull-up from midrange and spot-up from three. Admittedly a work in progress, he spent his summer and training camp perfecting his offensive imperfections.

Which, of course, takes us back to Gordon’s mental training.

“Man, it’s such a long season. And hopefully I have a long, healthy career,” he tells us at shootaround. “If you think about the future too much, if you think about the past too much, you’re going to develop an anxiety and nervousness about it.

“If you stay in the present moment with you and I right now, everything is good.”

No, AG didn’t have an epiphany over the offseason about the importance of mental training. He has long committed to staying in the present moment.

Dedicated SLAM readers will recall Gordon’s Rookie Diary during his injury-riddled ’14-15 season, when 19-year-old AG repeatedly talked about staying present.

His favorite college class? Psychology.

Becoming great doesn’t happen overnight. Becoming great happens after years of the day-to-day grind. Not having patience can derail you. Ruminating on the past or future can derail you.

Thankfully, getting back on track is not complicated. “You breathe. That’s the biggest thing. Taking deep breaths,” he says. “That’s the best way to get yourself back to present. If you start thinking about who you were then, you’re never going to get better. If you think about where you want to go, you’re never actually going to get there.”

***

While the present is Aaron Gordon’s focus, his past can show us his biggest attribute: leadership.

“AG taught me how to play hard,” says Pistons forward Stanley Johnson, who came up with Gordon in the Oakland Soldiers AAU program. “I really didn’t play hard, I was more talented than everybody. AG was probably the first person who was just as athletic and talented.

“Then we went to Peach Jam and I put it together,” Johnson continues. “He was like, ‘Just score, just score, just score.’ He was trying to be the No. 1 player in the country—so for him to give me the ball versus, like, Andrew Wiggins, I was taken aback.”

Wiggins became the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2013, but AG was always in the conversation. Gordon committed to Arizona, not necessarily to be featured within the system, but to become the team’s X-factor needed to win a championship. “I’m here to do whatever it takes to win,” Gordon told Sports360AZ during his freshman season. “I’m not trying to impress anybody. I’m just here to show my team that we’re here to win.”

And win they did. The Wildcats went 33-5 on the year, and while they lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight, Gordon showed enough to be taken fourth overall in the 2014 Draft.

Consequently, in Gordon’s three full seasons with the Magic so far, Orlando has surpassed his college total of 33 wins just once (35 games in ’15-16). He’s had four coaches in as many seasons, and he could sign elsewhere as a restricted free agent in 2018. But he’ll cross that bridge once he gets there.

“He’s gonna be a max-guy, a 20-year pro,” Johnson says. “His mentality, what he has going for himself, he’s on another level.”

Thinking back to that high school photo shoot one more time, Gordon admits that he’s essentially the same dude. “Ambitious, young, hungry. I still want the entire world,” he says. “I’m just a better basketball player.”

And when a defender stands between him and the basket, rest assured, he’s still going to try to dunk it hard on him.

—

Ryne Nelson is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @slaman10.

Additional reporting by Max Resetar

Photos via Getty Images

The post Aaron Gordon: One Time 4 Your Mind appeared first on SLAM.

LeBron started at point guard because, well, he can do that, and the Cavs pulled away in the fourth quarter against the Bulls. Down a point headed into the fourth quarter, the Cavs hit three threes (two from Kyle Korver) in the first 2:03 of the final period and never trailed again.

LeBron had 34 points and 13 assists, while Kevin Love had 20 and 12 rebounds.

He does what he wants (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/Os1Cv0bTPc

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 25, 2017

For Cleveland, the win snapped a five-game losing streak against the Bulls and got them back on track after a blowout loss to the Magic last time out.

The bright spot for Chicago: Lauri Markkanen. The rookie posted 19-and-eight and was relentless:

Can’t deny the rookie (via @nbatv) pic.twitter.com/30ZUNVIjiJ

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 25, 2017

Magic 125 (3-1), Nets 121 (2-2)

Aaron Gordon had the game of his life, scoring a career-high 41 points on 14-18 shooting, including 5-5 from three.

The Magic needed every bit of it to beat the Nets, including Gordon’s three with 36 seconds left that put Orlando ahead for good. Gordon was unstoppable on Tuesday, going off after sitting the Magic’s last two games with an injury.

1 v. 4 and @Double0AG doesn’t care (via @OrlandoMagic) pic.twitter.com/Bkl8FRuGi6

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 24, 2017

D’Angelo Russell had 29 in the loss for Brooklyn.

Celtics 110 (2-2), Knicks 89 (0-3)

The Celtics won their second straight behind strong efforts from young players and veterans alike. Rookie Jayson Tatum had the best game of his young career, scoring 22 points to go with four rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Kyrie Irving had 20 points and seven assists, and Jaylen Brown had 23 points and one of these:

Happy 21st, @FCHWPO (via @celtics) pic.twitter.com/lPHT0tkqaR

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 25, 2017

Enes Kanter had 16 points and 19 boards for the Knicks, who shot just 1-12 from three and 42 percent overall.

Pacers 130 (2-2), Timberwolves 107 (2-2)

The Pacers put up some of the most ridiculous offensive numbers you’ll ever see, led by a franchise-record 66.7 percent shooting from the field. Bojan Bogdanovic, Domantas Sabonis, and Thaddeus Young combined to shoot 20/25, and Darren Collison had 15 points and 16 assists.

Needless to say, the Timberwolves didn’t stand much of a chance. Karl Anthony Towns had 28 points and perhaps the pass of the night, but this one will be remembered for a truly outstanding performance from Indiana.

If you’re not impressed that’s your issue not ours. pic.twitter.com/pIWKv2Clps

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 25, 2017

Trail Blazers 103 (3-1), Pelicans 93 (1-3)

The Blazers extended their own NBA-record home opener winning streak with their 17th straight, pulling away late from the Pelicans.

Portland trailed by two going into the fourth quarter, but quickly built a double-digit lead, making it appear as though the game was in hand. Then the Pelicans went on a 12-2 run to make it interesting before CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard put the game away.

DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 39 points to go with 13 rebounds, but McCollum’s 23, as well as four other players in double figures, was enough for Portland.

Clippers 102 (3-0), Jazz 84 (2-2)

Blake Griffin’s game-high 22 points was more than enough for the Clippers, who used a 33-15 third quarter to quiet any drama in their game against the Jazz. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 18 of LA’s 44 total rebounds.

Between Jordan and Griffin, the Clippers outscored the Jazz 52-34 in the paint. Griffin had the exclamation point:

Excuse me coming through. pic.twitter.com/FiawcatHpb

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 25, 2017

The post Post Up: A Record Night for the Pacers and Blazers appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon dropped a career-high 41 points on 14-18 shooting, including a perfect 5-5 from three. Those five made triples were also a career best.

The fourth-year forward out of Arizona scored in every way possible, and made it clear early that he would not be stopped.

1 v. 4 and @Double0AG doesn’t care (via @OrlandoMagic) pic.twitter.com/Bkl8FRuGi6

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 24, 2017

Then there was this.

Career-High 36 Points for @Double0AG

: @FOXSportsFL pic.twitter.com/K83T57HgHF

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 25, 2017

His three with 35 seconds left put Orlando ahead for good, as the Nets missed several attempts in the final seconds.

pic.twitter.com/d1BsgQGnzw

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 25, 2017

Gordon was playing in just his second game of the year, missing the Magic’s last two contests because of a sore ankle. Magic coach Frank Vogel said Gordon looked fine during workouts on Monday…not that there was much that could slow him down anyway.

The post Aaron Gordon Goes Off for Career Night in Magic Win Over Nets appeared first on SLAM.

Payton’s chemistry with Gordon pops up all the time. Payton repeatedly finds Gordon cutting to the rim each and every game.

During tonight 115-107 win over the Nets, Payton and Gordon hooked up yet again. They went with an off the glass alley-oop this time, resulting in a major highlight. Watch it above.

Elfrid Payton's chemistry with Aaron Gordon = pic.twitter.com/apL42B8Y7d

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 7, 2017

The post Elfrid Payton Throws Alley-Oop Off the Glass to Aaron Gordon appeared first on SLAM.

I believe I can fly! pic.twitter.com/xhXTjlkGGI

— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2017

The post Aaron Gordon Elevates For Sick Reverse Alley-Oop appeared first on SLAM.

The post Aaron Gordon Nearly Jumps Over Marcus Smart appeared first on SLAM.

Check out the dunks below:

Glenn Robinson III

.@GRIII leaps over PG-13 for the SLAM! pic.twitter.com/lrsPu6RQHg

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2017

Glenn Robinson earns the first 5⃣0⃣ of the night with this gem pic.twitter.com/idZ520YBcW

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 19, 2017

GR3 makes a statement in the #VerizonDunk Contest. pic.twitter.com/ZuuhHreqFa

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2017

Glenn Robinson III breaks out the dab on the windmill reverse!

(via @clippittv)pic.twitter.com/j7xWIRtJtr

— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) February 19, 2017

Derrick Jones

Derrick Jones Jr. clears four teammates in the first round pic.twitter.com/dVZ4eqwD8K

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 19, 2017

"This young man came to play tonight."@TheRea1DJones is putting on a show! #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/dkF5im9blp

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2017

.@TheRea1DJones with the through-the-legs pic.twitter.com/d6jLJk6ifl

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2017

DeAndre Jordan

DJ jumps the DJ booth in the #VerizonDunk Contest! @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/Z4Y9msy2Lt

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2017

DJ goes around the #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/8BTNcrrk4c

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2017

Aaron Gordon

Did you see that? Air Gordon takes flight and goes through the legs with the assist from a Drone powered by @Intel. #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/jQpFs0Bh9h

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2017

Related
WATCH: Eric Gordon Wins 2017 Three-Point Contest
WATCH: Kristaps Porzingis Wins 2017 Skills Contest

The post WATCH: Every Dunk From The 2017 Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

Though LaVine decided not to come back this year, Gordon leads the four-player field.

• Aaron Gordon
• DeAndre Jordan
• Glenn Robinson III
• Derrick Jones Jr.

Jordan’s been one of the League’s most prolific dunkers for his entire career. According to Basketball Reference, Jordan has 1,505 dunks in his career. Jordan leads the League in dunks this year, with 148.

Robinson III is the son of 10-year pro, two-time All-Star and one-time NBA champ Glenn Robinson. GRIII in his third season and second with the Pacers. He’s averaging a career best 6.3 points and has appeared in 46 games, the most in his career. He has 34 throwdowns this season. The 22-year-old showed us during Summer League that he has some bounce.

Derrick Jones Jr. has played only 11 minutes for the Suns this season. He’s played in three games and scored only 3 points. The UNLV product is 19 and 6-7. His D-League highlight tape is bonkers.

The Dunk Contest goes live on Saturday, February 18 on TNT.

The post 2017 Dunk Contest Participants Announced appeared first on SLAM.

Tonight, Gordon scored the second-most points of his career. He shot 11-15 from the floor and 4-4 from outside, tying his number from two weeks back. He was on fire tonight, also registering 1 block, 1 steal, 1 rebound and 1 assist.

Watch the highlights up top.

The post Aaron Gordon Shoots 11-15, Scores 30 Against Memphis appeared first on SLAM.

Check out the 20 best jams from yesterday’s games above.

Related
Kyrie Irving and James Harden Square Off in Cleveland
WATCH: Stephen Curry Scores 23 in the Third Quarter

The post Watch The 20-Best Dunks From Last Night appeared first on SLAM.

https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/793595937536872449

The post Aaron Gordon Throws Down 360 Dunk Mid-Game (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

He soared over two Pistons to hammer home a putback dunk and he also put down a two-handed oop from Elfrid Payton. The Magic are 0-2 but at least Gordon has a few highlights.

https://youtu.be/DtUPgkPNZbM

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Flies All Over Detroit appeared first on SLAM.

The high-flying 20-year-old is expected to make a significant leap (pardon the pun) in his third NBA season.

Q&A: Aaron Gordon on Orlando’s Moves, Playoff Goal and More: Aaron Gordon discusses his offseason training, 2… https://t.co/lmYDTsgSIV

— Basketball Insiders (@BBallInsiders) September 6, 2016

The Magic’s aggressive offseason moves clearly indicate major expectations for the 2016-17 campaign.

Per Basketball Insiders:

Aaron Gordon: “My training regimen has been absolutely hectic. I’ve being doing two-a-days and three-a-days to try to get ready for the season. I’m ready. I’ve been ready. I was ready the day that we lost to Charlotte on our last day of the season – I wanted to start another 82 games right then. I knew that it couldn’t happen, but I wanted it. (laughs) Now, I’ve taken this offseason to work on my ball-handling, passing, shooting. Also, being able to shoot over defenders’ hands when they’re closing out on threes or being able to take one dribble and rise to pull up over everybody. I’ve been working on making decisions out of the pick-and-roll. I know with Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka, I’m going to have a roll guy and a pop guy. And with Vooch [Nik Vucevic], I’ll have a little bit of both – a guy who can roll and pop. It’s going to be on me to either score off of the pick-and-roll or make the right read to get the ball to my guy in the best spot. I’m ready.”

 

Clearly, making the playoffs is the goal. Do you feel that this team has what it takes? And if you guys aren’t in the postseason, is that a disappointment?

 

Gordon: “Oh, of course. Of course. We are a playoff team. I haven’t stepped foot in the gym with everyone yet, but just through our text messages and calls, that’s where everybody’s mindset is at. They’re ready, and I’m ready as well. Really, we have to play present. We need to take each game and play it like it’s our last. If we do that, we’re going to have a very successful season.”

The post Aaron Gordon Says the Orlando Magic ‘Are a Playoff Team’ appeared first on SLAM.

After LaVine and Gordon stole the show on All-Star Saturday night, it got the folks at Wieden+Kennedy dreaming up scenarios that were equal parts amazing and insane.

They accomplished just that in the video above, as the duo performs a dare-devilish feat straight out of one’s imagination.

Watch the full spot here:

https://youtu.be/VEX7KhIA3bU

The post Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine Connect on Insane Alley-Oop in Nike Ad appeared first on SLAM.

According to Dr. J, the Zach LaVine-Aaron Gordon battle was on par with Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins squaring off back in 1988.

The Hall of Famer, however, believes the title of greatest dunker ever still belongs to Vince Carter.

Per Complex:

Who is the best dunker you have ever seen?

 

JE: “I’ll tell you; Zach has put on a show the last couple of years. He has to get kudos. I don’t know if the surprise factor and the timing coordination dunks that he does are as impactful as what Vince Carter brought to the scene when he did a few things that hadn’t been seen before. I think with Connie Hawkins, myself, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, there’s a lineage there, and I think Vince shook it up a little bit there with a couple of dunks there. I’m gonna let him reside in that spot right there.”

 

Where did this past dunk contest rank on your all-time list?

 

JE: “It was clearly as good as the Wilkins-Jordan showdown, and I had a showdown with David Thompson back in ’76 which was the last year in the ABA. It doesn’t get acknowledged as much, but it was a great showdown. But Zach and [Aaron] Gordon, in terms of the guys who are judging and to hear what they had to say during that time, records are made to be broken, and standards of the bar are established to be challenged so somebody can go above it. I would put those two guys, the things they did this past show in Toronto, at the top of the bar. Even for them to chase next year, or put some new guys next year to go after it…they have raised the bar to a different level.”

The post Dr. J: 2016 Dunk Contest ‘As Good as the Wilkins-Jordan Showdown’ appeared first on SLAM.

The day started out with a kids clinic then moved onto the Venice Basketball League games in the afternoon. The dunk contest capped off the day as dunkers were battling for $5,000.

Jordan “Flight” Sutherland out of Atlanta took home the cash prize and the Dunk Fest title.

Peep the video above to check out some of the highlights.

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Hosts Dunk Fest In Venice Beach appeared first on SLAM.

Where does @Double0AG rank amongst the 2014 draftees in your eyes?

Our rankings: https://t.co/m1QVHSu3u2https://t.co/TirH3PhLPG

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 28, 2016

The post WATCH: All 71 Aaron Gordon Dunks from 2015-16 Season appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Best 360s of the 2015-16 NBA Season appeared first on SLAM.

Imagine for a moment that you are Stuff, the Orlando Magic mascot, a fantastical dragon with pink wings and “party blowers” that emerge from your nostrils. Hatched from an egg in 1989, you are the longest-tenured member of the Orlando Magic outside of senior VP Pat Williams. Those googly eyes have seen much. And for many young Orlando Magic fans, you are the wildest thing they’ve ever seen.

But wait. You are asked to assist someone over All-Star Weekend, a player who was born in 1995—six years younger than you—as he competes in the Dunk Contest. Which is fine, you’ve seen dunk contests before. Lots of dunk contests. Hell, you watched Shaq for four seasons. Dunking, right, whatever.

So you go. You help out. And on Aaron Gordon’s second dunk, he takes the ball from you, sits down with his butt a full seven feet above the ground and passes it underneath his legs before slamming it home.

You can only stare. For once, you know exactly how those young fans feel.

The post Slamadamonth, SLAM #197, Aaron Gordon appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Top 10 Dunks of March 2016 appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of March 19 – March 25
Week of March 12 – March 18

The post NBA Photos of the Week appeared first on SLAM.

Tonight, he’s already got two noteworthy jams against the Brooklyn Nets.

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Keeps On Dunking appeared first on SLAM.

Aaron Gordon caught Nikola Mirotic sleeping on this alley-oop, going baseline to throw down a perfect lob from Elfrid Payton. Clearly, Gordon came to play against the lethargic Bulls tonight.

.@double0ag misses the 3 but puts back his own rebound. The @OrlandoMagic are live now on FOX Sports Florida. https://t.co/rgtcqBeK2x

— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) March 26, 2016

The post WATCH: Elfrid Payton Connects with Aaron Gordon on Alley-Oop appeared first on SLAM.

Runner-up in this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Aaron Gordon has carved a niche for himself as one of the league’s prolific dunkers. Here, he climbed the ladder for an impressive reverse stuff on an alley-oop feed from halfcourt.

Here’s another gem from the Aaron Gordon vault:

Another night, another Air Gordon dunk. https://t.co/6LD18cUBlb

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 15, 2016

The post Aaron Gordon Delivers Reverse Alley-Oop (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of March 5 – March 11
Week of February 27 – March 4

The post NBA Photos of the Week appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Gets Up For Reverse Jam appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of February 27 – March 4
Week of February 20 – February 26

The post NBA Photos of the Week appeared first on SLAM.

Apparently, we are still in the dunk contest! No complaints here…

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Rises for Massive Windmill Dunk appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of February 6 – February 12
Week of January 30 – February 5

The post NBA Photos of the Week appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon took off from just a step inside the free-throw line, and Draymond Green wisely stepped out of the potential poster in the nick of time.

Afterwards, naturally, all anyone wanted to talk about was Steph and his 51-point performance.

Per the Orlando Sentinel: in

Curry scored 51 points, grabbed seven rebounds and delivered eight assists. […] “It’s one thing watching him, and then it’s another thing when you’re actually on the court with him playing,” Magic forward Aaron Gordon said. “I think just the rate that he makes 3s and how consistently he can do it throughout the entire game is incredible.”

 

All five Magic starters scored in double figures, led by Evan Fournier, who had 20 points. […] But Curry dominated. He made 20 of his 27 shots.

 

“That’s the first time I’ve gotten my butt whooped like that by one player,” Fournier said. “I had Kobe in my rookie year getting 40. But 51 is just on another level.”

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Dunks from Just Inside the Free-Throw Line appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Jams Lefty Alley-Oop appeared first on SLAM.

Watch him lift off in Philly tonight as the Magic visit the 76ers:

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon Gets Up for Slam appeared first on SLAM.

Today, we caught up with both LaVine and Gordon less than 24 hours after their epic aerial showdown. Check out the video above, as SLAM’s Alexis Morgan chats with Zach and Aaron about the record number of perfect scores, how they came up with their extra dunks, Shaq as a judge and what their plans are for next year’s contest.

The post Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine Discuss Last Night’s Dunk Contest (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

LaVine brought a heavy of dose of his trademark through-the-legs, behind-the-back and free-throw line dunks en route to back-to-back titles.

https://vine.co/v/inPX2LQFlaE

Gordon was the people’s champ, after going HAM with a series of dunks involving the Magic’s mascot.

https://vine.co/v/inPDuQDumrv

You can watch all of Gordon’s dunks and all of LaVine’s dunks and decide who won. You really can’t go wrong.

The post Zach LaVine Bests Aaron Gordon in Epic Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

He started off with a solid, between-the-legs reverse dunk that caught the crowd’s interest.

https://vine.co/v/inP1JJgUEYY

Stuff the Magic Dragon then came out on a hoverboard, who Gordon cleared with apparent ease.

https://vine.co/v/inPglF5VpBz

Entering the final round against LaVine, Gordon brought out his first truly unique jam—a 360 one-handed grab from the spinning mascot. Wow.

https://vine.co/v/inPdFEB5Y3J

And if you thought that was insane, well, just watch:

https://vine.co/v/inPDuQDumrv

LaVine and Gordon both finished with 100 in the finals, so Gordon went impromptu with his teammate Elfrid Payton, who threw the rock off the side of the backboard.

https://vine.co/v/inPjuTPnErp

For his final dunk, Gordon took it by himself, bringing it all the way up and all the way down. Unfortunately, the judges gave him a 47 for this one.

https://vine.co/v/inPIgjd7a33

RELATED:
WATCH: All Of Zach LaVine’s Dunks From The Dunk Contest

The post WATCH: All Of Aaron Gordon’s Dunks From The Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

The man he defeated in the Finals of that dunk contest, though, is predicting a different winner tonight. Magic guard Victor Oladipo told SLAM this weekend that he likes his teammate, 20-year-old Aaron Gordon, to win it.

“I think he’s going to do really well. He’s going to give Zach a run for his money,” Oladipo told us from courtside at the Jordan Brand Invitational inside the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. “I’m going with my man to win.”

After putting on a show opposite LaVine at last year’s Slam Dunk Contest but ultimately finishing in second place, Oladipo says he never really gave much thought to returning to the Dunk Contest this year.

“I’mma let my young boy go, I’m passing the torch,” Oladipo said. “I told him to have fun, man, and enjoy the moment. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to be in the Dunk Contest.”

Of fellow Jordan Brand athlete Andre Drummond—also participating in tonight’s Dunk Contest—Oladipo guaranteed that Dre would “do something that’s going to make the crowd go ooh and ahh.”

Who do you think will win the Dunk Contest tonight: LaVine, Gordon, Drummond or Will Barton?

The post Victor Oladipo Thinks Aaron Gordon Will Win Tonight’s Slam Dunk Contest appeared first on SLAM.

Don’t hurt ’em, AG!

The post Aaron Gordon Rises Up For Monster Putback Dunk (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The post Aaron Gordon Goes Airborne on Double Clutch Dunk (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The post Aaron Gordon Throws Down Huge Put-Back (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The post Aaron Gordon Throws Down Pair of Dunks (VIDEOS) appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of October 16 – October 22
Week of October 9 – October 15

The post NBA Photos of the Week appeared first on SLAM.

It didn’t take long at all for Aaron Gordon to catch his first highlight of the 2015-16 season.

Less than two minutes after entering the game in the first quarter, Gordon collected the carom from a Victor Oladipo miss and threw it down over Washington center Marcin Gortat.

Of course, AG wasn’t done there. The second-year big man emphatically threw down an even more impressive jam just minutes later.

The post Aaron Gordon Stuffs Putback Dunk Over Marcin Gortat (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon made up for lost time Tuesday night, skying for a pair of spectacular finishes.

The 20-year-old, who missed 31 games of his rookie season due to a fractured bone in his left foot, says he was thrilled about the way his preseason debut went.

Per the Orlando Sentinel:

Gordon played energetic defense, made decisive cuts on offense and gave the Orlando Magic a badly needed jolt of energy in a 95-92 overtime exhibition win over the Miami Heat at Amway Center. […] “Tonight went really well,” Gordon said. “I had a lot of fun out there, a little bit of rust.”

 

Gordon, a 6-foot-9 combo forward, likely is the Magic’s best one-on-one defender, combining quickness, strength and explosive leaping ability. […] “A super athlete,” Magic big man Dewayne Dedmon said. “He moves his feet well. He can guard anybody in the league.”

 

Magic coach Scott Skiles limited Gordon to 17 minutes against the Heat, and Gordon finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block. […] Gordon didn’t appear to have any significant problems with the exertion. As he ran up and down the court, he seemed to have a little extra bounce to his step, and he also made his cuts decisively. But he went 5 for 10 from the field, missing a pair of jumpers from 20 feet, a jumper from 25 feet and air-balling jumpers from 10 feet and 14 feet.

The post WATCH: Aaron Gordon With Spectacular Finishes in Preseason Debut appeared first on SLAM.

Aaron was visiting family in California after an impressive three-game showing at the Orlando Summer League. Drew apologized for the incident on twitter, saying he has “nothing but love” for his little brother.

I am deeply saddened and sorry for hurting my brother. I love him and my family more than anything.

— drew gordon (@xtraGORDONary32) July 17, 2015

He is an amazing person and brother I have NOTHING but love for him and my family.

— drew gordon (@xtraGORDONary32) July 17, 2015

AG underwent surgery to repair the damage on Tuesday.

More from the Orlando Sentinel:

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon underwent surgery Tuesday in California to repair a fractured jaw and is expected to return by the start of the regular season, according to team spokesman Joel Glass.

 

Glass said Gordon suffered the jaw injury when Gordon was visiting his family and was horsing around with his older brother, Drew, who appeared in nine games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

 

The timetable for Aaron Gordon’s return to basketball-related activities will depend on how he responds to rehabilitation, Glass said.

The post Aaron Gordon Fractured His Jaw While ‘Horsing Around’ With Brother appeared first on SLAM.

As Celtics center Tyler Zeller went up for a layup, Magic forward Aaron Gordon blocked it ripped it away with one hand (and added a brief stare down for good measure).

The post Aaron Gordon With Nasty Block on Tyler Zeller (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The fourth pick in last June’s NBA Draft suffered the injury Saturday night in the Atlanta Hawk’s 98-93 win over the Magic.

From the press release:

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound rookie had his foot X-rayed following Saturday’s game and it revealed the fracture. He left the Verizon Center late Saturday night wearing a protective walking boot.

 

Gordon, the youngest player in the NBA this season at 19 years old, will be further evaluated as to the best course of action for treatment upon the team’s return to Orlando.

 

Gordon has appeared in all 11 games this season, coming off the bench in each one. He’s averaged 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.55 blocks a game. His finest game as a pro came on Nov. 6 when he scored 17 points – six of them in overtime – and grabbed six rebounds in Orlando’s defeat of Minnesota. He also played a key role in flipping the momentum in Friday’s defeat of Milwaukee by scoring eight points, grabbing three rebounds and handing out three assists.

The post Magic Rookie Aaron Gordon Out Indefinitely With Broken Foot appeared first on SLAM.

Plumlee’s Nets hung on for a 104-96 victory against the visiting Orlando Magic.

The post Mason Plumlee Dunks on Aaron Gordon (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

portrait by Trevor Paulhus

The post Aaron Gordon Rookie Diary, Pt. 2 appeared first on SLAM.

portrait by Trevor Paulhus

The post Aaron Gordon Rookie Diary, Pt. 1 appeared first on SLAM.

The post Best Photos of Rookie Day appeared first on SLAM.

Related:
A Barbershop Conversation with Jabari Parker

The post A Barbershop Conversation with Aaron Gordon & Gary Harris (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon had defenders looking confused at the San Francisco Pro Am. Check out the 6-8 rookie-to-be dropping dimes and collecting some broken ankles above.

The post Aaron Gordon Shows Out at San Francisco Pro Am (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Related:
Jabari Parker Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Andrew Wiggins Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Dante Exum Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Doug McDermott Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Tyler Ennis Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Nik Stauskas Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Zach LaVine Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Noah Vonleh Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Shabazz Napier Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Gary Harris Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
James Young Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Isaiah Austin Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)
Adreian Payne Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO)

The post Aaron Gordon Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite Interview (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Look for teams to use this opportunity to trade existing assets to get younger (and cap lighter) as well as to trade down.

Here are the top players in the Draft (it doesn’t mean they will be taken at these picks) in what is one of the deepest draft boards in years.

Images via Getty and USA Today

The post NBA Draft Index, Vol. VII appeared first on SLAM.

With less than a week until the Draft, which is being held in Brooklyn, NY, the affable Gordon has agreed to keep a weekly diary with SLAMonline. In the fourth entry—catch the first diary entry here,  the second entry here, and the third diary entry here—Gordon, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 8 rpg at Arizona, details his experiences working out for the Celtics, Magic and more.

by Aaron Gordon (as told to Tzvi Twersky)

After I left Utah, I went back to P3, where I work out. You know how P3 is. It’s just a really, really good place. I worked on mobility, strength, loosening up my joints—just things to get me right. I was there with other players, but at the same time they do a good job of making you feel like it’s individual. They always have separate things for different players. They realize that not everybody’s body is the same.

At this point in the process, I’m just trying to stay sharp and shoot the ball as consistently as I can. I’ve found a stroke, and now it’s about shooting it as consistently as possible. That’s really what it comes down to.

My next stop was Boston. I saw what they had to offer. It was a competitive workout with CJ Fair, Rodney Hood, Doug McDermott, Jerami Grant. I wouldn’t say it was easier than my first workouts, but my nerves had settled down. We played threes, and I had to guard Doug again, automatically.

Around that time, the media was saying that Boston wanted to draft me—but it’s hard to listen to the media right now. The media says so many things everyday. They change their minds everyday. They wake up with new opinions, and if one media members says it, the rest of the media follows it. So it’s not something I listen to.

I look at these workouts as job interviews. Each time I come out, I try to excel as best as I can in a job interview. That’s how I take it. Even though it is a sport I love to do, it is important and that’s what I try to do. I still have fun out there, though. I get to show what I can do. I got to show how I can dribble the ball, and that my versatility doesn’t mean “tweener,” it actually means I can play different positions.

Boston was a really good trip. I got to meet Brad Stevens, Danny Ainge, couple other guys on the staff. The team has crazy tradition and the city’s lovely, so we’ll see how it goes. At the end of the day, it’s up to somebody else.

I was in Boston for two days, then I flew to Orlando. I was in Orlando for two days.

It was a one-on-none workout in Orlando. I shot the ball pretty well. I showed them the different things I can do, like, how smoothly I can shoot the ball with range, my versatility.

Orlando is a cool organization. They have good people surrounding the organization, from Rob Hennigan to Scott Perry to the coach, Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn is a real cool dude and a real good hooper. I got a real sense of family there, a good bond. They’re smart, young people who understand where the players are coming from. Rob is a good GM and I think he’ll be a great one someday.

After that, I came home and got to see my brother and sister and parents. Automatically, me and my brother (Drew) got in the gym and started going at each other. It had been a while since we played—he came to a game in Arizona six months ago.

My brother looks like he knows how to score the ball better than ever. His jumper is, like, a pro. He looks like a pro. He’s been overseas for two or three years, and he looks like a pro now. The way he shoots, the way he dribbles, the way he understands the game—he looks like a pro with the ball in his hands. I’m proud of him.

He’ll never tell me how good I am, but I know he knows. He’s my biggest fan, and I’m his biggest fan. We have mutual respect, and we always try to make each other better.

The Draft is coming! Each day, I check the calendar. Right now, I’m looking at suits. It’s starting to get exciting. We’ll see whose suits I go with, but I’m going to be looking nice, regardless. There’s no such thing as fitting in with this suit. You get this day once, so you have to go all out. You want to look nice and classy, but definitely loud.

I’m so excited to be in New York for the Draft. I’ll be with like four friends and family. It’s going to be memorable.

PS: There’s this picture floating around of me on Twitter. It’s crazy.

I was chilling, just resting my eyes on the train after a two-a-day. A couple hours later, there was just a random picture of me on Twitter. I had no idea someone had taken a picture. I guess people are starting to recognize me, but I don’t carry myself in a way that you would think I was a professional athlete. When I’m off the court, I carry myself like a normal person so people are never sure if that person they see is me or a look-alike.

PPS: I got moved up to first class on the second leg of a flight from Utah to Oakland. A lady recognized me and said that her son was a real big fan, so she moved me from coach to first. That’s love. It just shows that people appreciate you for playing basketball, and people are looking up to you and aspiring to be where you are.

The post Aaron Gordon’s Draft Diary, Part Four appeared first on SLAM.

With less than three weeks left until the Draft, which is being held in Brooklyn, NY, the affable Gordon has agreed to keep a weekly diary with SLAMonline. In the third entry—catch the first diary entry here, and the second entry here—Gordon, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 8 rpg at Arizona, details his experiences working out for the Kings and Lakers. 

by Aaron Gordon (as told to Tzvi Twersky)

When we left off last diary, I was on my way to Sacramento. Well, I went there. I got a few shots up with Chris Mullin, Mully, and I hung out and talked with the GM, the owner, all that stuff. Then I was like, We can get a workout in, if you guys want.

That was my first actual workout. We ended up working for 45 minutes to an hour. Full sweat, shooting, everything. I was a little bit nervous, but that’s good cause now the jitters are out of the way.

After Sac, I went to L.A straight. I love L.A. It’s a great city, and I have family and friends out there. I get a good vibe from L.A.

I worked out in L.A. for the Lakers. I thought it was going to be an individual workout but it ended up being a competition workout. I got to workout with James Young, Doug McDermott, Davion Berry, Elfrid Payton, etc. That was fun. I haven’t played against other people in a while; I’ve just been doing individual lab work.

When we played twos and threes, I jumped on Doug. I needed to guard him, just cause I thought I was going to guard him during the college season. This was my chance to guard him, and he’s a really, really good player. He’s skilled, talented and he knows how to put the ball in the basket. He’s a hooper. I mean, you don’t become a top-ten scorer in the history of college basketball by luck.  So, that was a fun matchup.

During that workout in L.A., everyone from the organization was watching. GMs, scouts, they don’t have a coach so obviously no coach was there, and Mitch Kupchak was there. I didn’t really get to have a conversation and ask questions there. That’s kind’ve what the interview at the Combine was for. Then, the media came and flooded in it.

It was cool to come and see the Championship trophies there. They have them in the upper left side in the practice facility. It was fun to play in there. They have real tradition. They said they liked me. Well see if they bring me back for another workout closer to the Draft.

After that, I was real sore. I was tired. I was doing three-a-days. In L.A., I worked out before the workout and worked out after the workout. I was trying to get in the gym. I felt like I lost a little bit of time when I was at my sister’s graduation in Boston last week, so I wanted to stay in the gym.

The day after L.A., I was pretty sore but my trainer dragged me to the gym. After a good go at it, I went to bed and slept for like 18 hours. When I woke back up, I was good to go!

This past weekend, I was in Utah. That was really cool. It seems like Utah has a good thing going. The new coach Quin Snyder was there. I got to meet him before players on the Jazz got to meet him.  He was sitting on the side while we worked out. I played well. I shot well, and I think I showed them my versatility. I talked to the rest of the staff, and I think I had a good showing.

By then, the nerves weren’t there anymore. It wasn’t like Sacramento. I mean, they’re there a little bit, but in my mind it’s back to playing basketball and not trying to prove anything.

I’m back at P3, working out now. I have a big week planned. I’m headed out to Boston to workout for the Celtics. From there, I’m going straight to Orlando. Then, I’m playing it by ear. If any team wants to bring me back, I’m there. That’s the grind.

A couple days ago someone said to me, The Draft is coming up. I was like, Oh my God; it is coming up!

It’s getting closer. Every time someone talks about the Draft coming up it just makes me smile. I’m just happy about it. I’m completely happy.

The post Aaron Gordon’s Draft Diary, Part Three appeared first on SLAM.

Several league sources believe that Celtics GM Danny Ainge is locked in on Gordon. While Gordon’s shooting is a concern, he is a strong rebounder and shot blocker who can defend either forward spot and has been compared to Shawn Marion. A trade is possible here, too. Ainge is always on the lookout for a make a blockbuster deal, and with Boston’s assets he is more than equipped to do so.

 

The post Celtics Reportedly ‘Locked In’ On Aaron Gordon appeared first on SLAM.

With less than a month left until the Draft, which is being held in Brooklyn, NY, the affable Gordon has agreed to keep a weekly diary with SLAMonline. In the second entry—catch the first diary entry here—Gordon, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 8 rpg at Arizona, details his experience at his sister’s college graduation, his first open workout and more.

by Aaron Gordon (as told to Tzvi Twersky)

First off, I didn’t mention this last time, but I have a brother and a sister. My oldest brother, Drew, is professional basketball player. And my older sister, Elise, just finished up at Harvard. We must have good genes, right?!

Actually, I was just out in Boston last week at my sister’s graduation from Harvard. She got accepted to Harvard more than four years ago, and she just hit the ground running. Commencement was emotional for her, and I’m just extremely proud. It reflects well on our whole family.

To be honest, she’s going to by my manager and go wherever I go. To have your sister, with a Harvard degree, managing you is just an unfair advantage. It’s unfair. But if I can get an advantage like that, I’ll take that!

Before all that, I was in New York for the lottery. It was so exciting to see where the ping pong balls dropped. Not only just to see where my peers would be going, but where I could be going too. Like, Orlando has four; Boston is six; Sacramento is at eight. I think it’s a pretty good drawing for me.

The way I look at it is: If I’m not going to go as high as possible, than I want to go to the right situation. Otherwise, I really don’t have a preference. If I had a preference, I might be crushed by not being on that team. I can’t have a preference, but I do want to be in the right situation. It’s about to be fun wherever I go. I’m about to have a good time on the court. I’m about to win games.

My next stop is Sacramento. I’m headed out there for a workout with the Kings. The next week and a half, really, is a grind. I’ve got the Kings; then I go to L.A. for the Lakers; then I go to Boston; then I think I go to Orlando after that.

My first open workout was the one my agency, BDA, hosted before Memorial Day. I’m sure you know, since SLAM posted the video from it. I was a little nervous at first. Then I started making shots, my nerves were gone, and I was just playing basketball. Even though there were more than a 100 NBA scouts sitting there seeing if they want you or not, it was still fun basketball. One thing is, I wish I could’ve worked out for longer. It was only like 45 minutes, and I was ready to go for an hour and a half.

I wanted to show the scouts how I play in the workout. But I definitely wanted to show them the range. I definitely wanted to show I can handle. My range is newly acquired, but my handles have been there the whole time and people have been sleeping on them. That’s why I wanted to workout for so much longer: I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to.

Now, Sacramento is my first team workout. I think it’s going to be a little more relaxed. I’m just going to meet with a few people, get a few shots up and have a relaxed workout. They have the eighth pick and that’s kind’ve my range, so I want to see what they’re talking about.

There’s a lot of good things going on in Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins, Big Cous! Have you seen his highlights? He’s a beast. His highlights are some of the most fun to watch in the NBA. His highlights are crazy. My game could definitely develop from playing with him.

L.A. is the next stop. That should be fun. The Lakers are a great program. It’s a traditional program, so I think the level of intensity will be way up.

If I ended up playing with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, that would be absolutely insane.  I would want to know everything that they know. I’d be attached to Kobe at the hip. I’d be attached to him and Steve Nash. And if I don’t get picked by them, I’m going at them. Either way, it’s going to be fun.

So far, this Draft grind has been nuts. I’ve been on so many flights. I’m on the East Coast, heading back West. Then I’ll be West, going back East. Then back West, and East for the Draft. I kind’ve like it, though. It’s all part of the training for the NBA. And as long as I find plenty of time to get in the gym, I’m always alright.

Catch you guys again next week.

The post Aaron Gordon’s Draft Diary, Part Two appeared first on SLAM.

With only a month left until the Draft, which is being held in Brooklyn, NY, the affable Gordon has agreed to keep a weekly diary with SLAMonline. In the first entry, Gordon, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 8 rpg at Arizona, details his experience at the Combine and more. 

by Aaron Gordon (as told to Tzvi Twersky)

The Draft Combine in Chicago was cool.

On the first day, everyone was going through drills and I was on the side, just itching to get out there. I had my hands in my pockets. I was making, like, in-and-out crossovers in my pockets every time someone attacked the rim.

Basketball is such a small world that I had already seen all of the players. You know top to bottom who everybody is. You know what their games are like. So I just wanted to go out there and play so much.

I don’t know who improved the most between the college season and the Combine, but I’ve always liked Rodney Hood’s game. He was playing well out there. Other than that, I’ve seen a lot of those guys play already. My USA teammates were out there, too, so it was good to see them. (Last summer, Gordon played on Team USA under-19 in the FIBA world championship—Ed.) All of those guys are hilarious. There was a lot of talent in one room at the Combine. A lot.

When it was my turn to get measured, I was kind’ve tight and stiff. I didn’t jump as high as I should’ve. I only got a 39-inch vert, but I’ve done a 43 before. So I didn’t jump as high as I could’ve; I didn’t run as fast as I could’ve. It was just disappointing that I was out there to do one thing and I didn’t do everything the best that I could. I mean, I still did real well—I just could’ve done a lot better.

I was looking to see how other players did, definitely. It’s always a competition. I saw the chatter on Twitter, a little bit, but really I was just looking at the guys behind me on line to see how they were doing. I’m pretty sure I touched the highest out of anybody at the combine. I might not have jumped the highest, but I touched the highest. That was cool.

The Combine was also the first time I got to meet with NBA GMs and NBA teams. They all seem like good people. When I met with the teams, I got asked some interesting questions. The weirdest question was, How many pennies are in a million dollars?

The team meetings were each supposed to last 30 minutes, and they were all scheduled back-to-back-to-back basically. I answered all of their questions, then I asked my questions and we still had probably five minutes to spare. We ended up talking, just chopping it up a little bit.

Each team asks a lot of the same questions, so you have to figure out a way for it not to feel scripted and for it to sound genuine. I mean, it is genuine the whole time. I’m never scripting anything. But if they’re all going to ask you the same question, it’s hard to give different answers.

When it was my turn to ask questions, I had a three basic questions: What would you do with me if you got me? What position would you play me at, ’cause I play multiple positions? How’s the team looking?

Those were the main questions I asked. I think I would have been more specific if the lottery had already happened. If we would’ve already known who had what pick, it would have been crazy.

When the Combine was over, I flew straight from Chicago to New York to attend the Draft lottery.

Real talk, my slot in mock drafts seems to fluctuate more than anyone else’s. I check out for those every once in a while, but there are so many different ones I can’t even keep up with it. It’s so funny, though, because day to day they have me three, then 11, then four, then five, then eight. I’m not even worried, though. I know everybody in the Draft class. I know their games, and I know my game and I’m at peace with that.

After leaving New York, it’s back to L.A. to work out again. Then, I’ll probably have individual team workouts. Look for more on that next diary.

Otherwise, I don’t think I’m going to have a lot of down time this summer. That’s fine, though. My down time is playing basketball. I’d rather be getting better than doing nothing. When I’m doing nothing, I feel unsatisfied. So I’m going to keep working.

I’ll keep checking in with you guys between now and June 26!

The post Aaron Gordon’s Draft Diary, Part One appeared first on SLAM.

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Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon just keeps on winning. First he earned MVP honors at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship after leading Team USA to a gold medal last summer. Currently in Tucson, Gordon has helped lead the Wildcats to a perfect 17-0 start to the season and the top ranked spot in the national rankings. And now today he was named the USA Basketball 2013 Male Athlete of the Year. Below is the official announcement from our friends at USA Basketball:      

Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon (San Jose, Calif.), who helped the USA to a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship and suited up for USA Basketball in the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit, today was announced as the 2013 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

“It’s a great honor,” Gordon said. “USA Basketball is a really good program. I respect everybody associated with USA Basketball, so for them to recognize me as Male Athlete of the Year is an incredible feeling.”

Coming off the bench in all nine games at the FIBA U19 World Championship, Gordon averaged team-highs of 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game to go along with 2.0 steals in 18.8 minutes per game, and he was named MVP of the 16-team tournament.

“Aaron is a great player, and the thing I really give him and the rest of the players credit for is that every single one of those guys is a high-profile player and they all knew going in that there was going to be some form of sacrifice that was going to have to take place for us to win,” saidBilly Donovan,  USA and University of Florida head coach. “No one was going to score 25 points, no one was going to play 35 minutes, it had to be a collective group effort and their buy-in ability toward that was tremendous.”

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Hope everybody had a happy Thanksgiving, a tranquil Black Friday and a productive Cyber Monday. I personally overdosed on turkey, stuffing and potatoes (and two kinds of pie) before repairing to the nearest sofa. My stomach is full and my batteries are recharged.

Now let’s get back to the college hoops, shall we?

Come late November and early December, teams start to figure out who they are. Most of the “guarantee” games are, mercifully, at an end. The big-time tourneys are wrapping up, having provided their own unique challenges and opportunities. The college basketball landscape is taking shape, and the narratives we’ll follow all year—until that magical tournament in Match—are beginning to unfold.

Michigan State is the No. 1 team in the land, with Arizona nipping at the Spartans’ heels. For all the talk of a “superconference,” the ACC has looked vulnerable. The Atlantic 10 is once again shaping up to be a darn good league. Last year’s Big Ten powers, Indiana and Michigan, have struggled through a tough early-season schedule.

And there are some surprises out there, some teams that are better than we thought—UMass, for one, and Villanova, and Iowa State.

It’s been a good week. Per usual, all rankings are AP.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

No. 22 Michigan 69, No. 10 Duke 79 — ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Quinn Cook tallied 24 points and 9 assists Tuesday night to lead the Blue Devils over the Wolverines at rollicking Cameron Indoor Stadium. Remarkably, Cook scored all of his buckets in the second half, hitting a couple of three-pointers and driving boldly to the rim. He got some help from super-frosh Jabari Parker, who scored 15 points and snared 6 rebounds.

Remember last year’s Michigan team, the national runner-up, with its stellar backcourt, excellent perimeter shooting and gritty forwards on the block? Yeah, this isn’t that team. The Wolverines are still trying to replace the all-but-irreplaceable Trey Burke, and the offense struggled against a defensively focused Duke squad. Michigan shot 44.6 percent from the field and only made 3-13 from beyond the arc; Duke, in contrast, shot 50 percent and knocked down 8 three-pointers.

“Guys are stepping into their roles, roles are changing,” Cook told the Associated Press. “It’s a long season. You can’t just stay the same the whole season. We kind of want to keep getting better and keep teams on their toes.”

The Blue Devils keyed on Michigan sharpshooter Nik Stauskas. Draped in defenders, Stauskas couldn’t get a clean look and only took two shots from the field. He finished with just 4 points. Guard Caris LeVery kept the Wolverines in the game with his 24 points, but Duke played lock-tight defense in its home gym and walked away with a 10-point win.

Coach K, in typical Coach K fashion, didn’t get too excited about it.

“We’re not a great basketball team,” he told reporters. “We have great kids, and they’re trying hard. We have a really tough schedule and we have to just keep trying to get better.”

Duke might not be a great team, but Parker is undeniably a great player. The 6-8, 235-pound forward is averaging 22.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season, and hasn’t scored less than 15 points in his nine-game college career. In the ongoing “best freshman” debate, I think Parker has risen above the rest. Kentucky’s Julius Randle is a beast on the block, Kansas’s Andrew Wiggins is tops in the open court, but in my opinion Parker is the best basketball player of the group. He can knock down the jumper, run the floor and jump over people. More impressively, he has the polished and versatile footwork of a seasoned low-post veteran. Every game he does something that makes you say “Wow.”

This time last year, I was convinced Duke was a Final Four team. Now, I have no idea. But if the Devils play defense like they did Tuesday, this team could go a long way.

Indiana 52, No. 4 Syracuse 69—ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Oh look, Syracuse is pretty darn good. Again. With Brandon Triche gone and Michael Carter-Williams playing for the Sixers, it seemed reasonable to assume that the Orangemen would take a small step backward this year. But no! Jim Boeheim’s club is still long and athletic, still disciplined, still superbly zone-centric. Not to mention that Trevor Cooney and Tyler Ennis are among the nation’s top backcourt duos.

‘Cuse won the Maui Invitational last Wednesday (the Orange topped Baylor 74-67) then returned to the orange confines of the Carrier Dome and blasted Indiana on Tuesday. Cooney led the Orange with 21 points, Ennis had 17 points and 8 assists, CJ Fair scored 15 and Syracuse befuddled a young Hoosiers squad that hasn’t quite figured things out yet. More than 26,000 fans turned out for this one, which is…ridiculous. Syracuse had a small 33-29 lead after a close-fought first half. Then the Orange got rolling—a few steals for Ennis, a Cooney three-ball, and the ole 2-3 zone that kept Indiana off-balance. Syracuse took command with a 12-0 run and didn’t look back.

Noah Vonleh scored 17 points for Indiana on a night when the Hoosiers were just 15-41 from the field (4-14 from three-point range).

“We finally got our offense going a little bit, made a couple of baskets, but our defense was really the difference for the first time this year,” Boeheim told the AP. “Our energy level was pretty good.”

Notre Dame 93, No. 23 Iowa 98—ACC/Big Ten Challenge

The Iowa Hawkeyes did their thing on Tuesday night in Iowa City—run the floor, convert in transition, knock down three-pointers. Aaron White scored 20 points, Roy Devyn Marble and Jarrod Uthoff each had 17 and the runnin’ Hawkeyes held off a very resilient Notre Dame squad to secure a win for the Big Ten.

Big center Garrick Sherman had a monster game for the Irish, scoring 29 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Guard Eric Atkins kept making plays late in the game and finished with 23 points.

Iowa had a 52-43 at halftime but Notre Dame closed the deficit in the second frame. It was back-and-forth affair with plenty of up-and-down basketball. Just when it seemed the Irish might take command of in the second half, Marble reeled off 13 consecutive points and kept the Hawkeyes on top. Some good free throw shooting and a crafty press break gave Iowa the win.

The Hawkeyes lost Saturday in overtime to Villanova, their only loss of the year thus far.

No. 15 Florida 64, No. 12 UConn 65

What a finish in Storrs! Shabazz Napier, UConn’s best player and one of the most dynamic guards in the country, recovered his own rebound off a missed shot and buried a mid-range jumper at the buzzer on Monday night, giving the Huskies a one-point win over Florida and preserving their still-undefeated season.

Michael Frazier II scored at the rim and put the Gators up 64-63 with just over a minute left in the game. Then Napier slithered into the paint and hoisted a tough off-balance jumper that missed by a mile. Luckily for the Huskies, DeAndre Daniels tipped the ball right back out to ‘Bazz, who buried the buzzer-beater.

After the game, talking to reporters, Napier said that final shot was in “slow motion.” He finished with 26 points on the night, a game-high. Casey Prather paced the Gators with 19 points and 7 boards.

No. 5 Oklahoma State 68, No. 21 Memphis 73

It was sweet revenge for the Tigers on Sunday. Back on Nov. 19, OSU blitzed Memphis 101-80 behind 39 points from Marcus Smart. This time around, the Tigers held Smart in check, shot 48 percent from the field and took down the Cowboys in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Chris Crawford scored 16 points for the Tigers, including a key layup and free throw in the final minutes of the game. With 11 seconds left in the contest and the Cowboys down by one, Smart coughed up the ball. A pair of free throws sealed the win for Memphis. Phile Forte was OSU’s leading scorer with 19; Smart finished with 12. Shaq Goodwin played well for Memphis, collecting 17 points and eight boards.

UTEP 63, No. 2 Kansas 67—Battle 4 Atlantis

The second-ranked Jayhawks survived a scare from Texas-El Paso in the third-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Andrew Wiggins had only six points for KU, but his teammates picked up the slack—Perry Ellis had 19, Wayne Seldon Jr. scored 14 and Nadir Tharpe chipped in 11.

At one point in the second half Kansas led by 15, but UTEP never went away. The Miners challenged Kansas repeatedly, and when McKenzie Moore hit a couple of free throws in the waning seconds UTEP had closed within three. But the Jayhawks managed to hold on.

Moore led the Miners with 15 points.

Kansas had lost to an underrated Villanova team the night before, 63-59—an outcome that surprised many. ‘Nova beat Iowa in the championship game to take home the Battle 4 Atlantis title.

No. 4 Arizona 72, No. 6 Duke—NIT Pre-season Tipoff

A great early-season matchup between two squads that could make deep post-season runs.

Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker led the Blue Devils with 21 and 19 points, respectively, while Arizona got double-digit scoring from Nick Johnson, Brandon Ashley and its own highly touted freshman, Aaron Gordon. The Wildcats played a physical brand of defense that seemed to frustrate Duke at times.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dustin Hogue, Iowa State

The efficient Mr. Hogue did it all for the Cyclones on Monday as ISU blew out Auburn 99-70. Hogue scored 22 points and corralled 16 rebounds in by far the best outing of his career. Ignore Iowa State at your peril—Fred Hoiberg’s talented ‘Clones are ranked No. 17 in the land.

GAMES I’LL BE WATCHING

North Carolina vs No. 1 Michigan State, Wednesday, 9 EST

Depending on which UNC team shows up, this could be a good one in East Lansing.

No. 8 Wisconsin vs Virginia, Wednesday, 7 EST

The high-scoring Badgers face a dangerous Cavaliers squad.

No. 3 Kentucky vs No. 20 Baylor, Friday, 10 EST

Coach Cal’s cavalcade of freshmen squares off against the talented Bears.

The post College Basketball Week in Review appeared first on SLAM.

It goes without saying that this class is the deepest in a long time—to most, the best since 2007. The basketball world seems to already be looking forward to the 2014 NBA Draft more than this year’s. Canada should have a lot to be proud of with this class, as Tyler Ennis and Xavier Rathan-Mayes will have an immediate impact on their respective collegiate teams, just as much as Andrew Wiggins will.

Overall, one player who really needs to be acknowledged is Joel Embiid. He has transformed from an unranked, unknown prospect into one of the nation’s premier centers. He’s only been playing basketball for about a year-and-a-half, and although his offensive game is still on the raw side, he’s shown that he can protect the rim with the best of them.

One player that you’ll see on this list who has been booted from most others is Aquille Carr. Truth be told, it baffles me why the “others” have bumped him out of their rankings. Something tells me that folks are judging him based on his legal troubles instead of his on-court production. I mean, it has to be. Why else would someone who averaged about 30 points and 6 assists this past season somehow not be worthy of a ranking spot? How many guys of his size do you know who can put up those numbers? Of any size, for that matter. And he’s done it against the cream of the crop, including a game-high 24-point outing against Andrew Wiggins’ Huntington Prep. All I’m saying is it doesn’t add up to me. It’s funny though, because when Lance Stephenson got in trouble back in HS, his name also dropped in the rankings. But he was 6-5, so they obviously couldn’t just simply wipe him off the list. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I do think it’s safe to say that we’re all rooting for Aquille here in his future overseas endeavors.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Back to these rankings. Kentucky is obviously the most well represented in here with six of the top 18 prospects. But Kansas isn’t too far behind—they have five out of the top 41 players, including the most sought-out in Wiggins. Duke and Memphis are also well represented with the Blue Devils having three out of the top 36, while the Tigers feature three out of the top 42. All in all, if you’re a college basketball fan, then you have a whole lot to be excited for come fall.

The post SLAM Fresh 75 – 2013 appeared first on SLAM.

words by Franklyn Calle / @FrankieC7

photos by Jeff Harris

Our annual mid-April HS All-American photo shoot is always one of the more exciting shoots we get to do every year. But this one was special. See, the guys you see in the photo above and in the gallery below (scroll through it!) collectively have expectations that are way higher than those in any of the All-American classes we’ve had in recent memory. All are projected to be top 10 picks in next year’s NBA Draft. This has even been referred to as the best prep class since 2007—which featured the likes of Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and James Harden—and next year’s Draft class has already been projected by many to be the most talented since the 2003 LBJ/D-Wade/Melo-led group. Ultimately, the group shot above has the chance to be a classic one somewhere down the road.

These guys don’t need any introduction, since by now you’ve more than likely already heard their names or seen their highlight mixtapes. Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins have dealt with King James-type hype over the course of the last two seasons. Aaron Gordon’s off-the-charts athleticism has already anointed him as the second-coming of Blake Griffin. Meanwhile, the Harrison twins have garnered attention for their superior guard skills and many believe they are the next great guards coming up the pipeline. And then there’s Julius Randle, who has proven to embody college-ready (or possibly even pro-ready) physique for the last few years. And when you click over to the second page of this post, you’ll see that the second team, third team, and honorable mentions have the potential to be just as special. We can’t wait for these studs take the floor for their respective collegiate teams in the fall—congrats to all of them!

Also, shout out to the Jordan Brand for their help with the shoot, providing the sick kicks on display and all they do off-court, and also big ups to Shirts & Skins for the dope SLAM unis they put together once again! 

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The headlines were focused on Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker before the 2013 McDonald’s All American Game, but Friday night’s showcase will be remembered for Aaron Gordon’s MVP performance. Gordon finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds and an incredible 8 crowd-pleasing dunks to lead the West to a 110-99 victory in front of 15,818 at the United Center. Wiggins dropped 19 for the East and Parker finished with 10 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals for the West.

For more coverage of the 2013 McDonald’s All American game, check out the live blog.

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How’s it going, everyone? I’m in Chicago for the McDonald’s All-American games. Last time I was here was two seasons ago when most of the country was first introduced to a local kid named Anthony Davis. The other boys on the floor weren’t too bad either, as the game featured Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Michael Carter-Williams and Bradley Beal. If this year’s crop is even half as talented as that one, we’re going to have one heck of a show at the United Center.

Just like two years ago, the focus is on a local kid—Jabari Parker. The Simeon product just shared our SLAM 167 cover with Andrew Wiggins, a couple of players who have seen their hype grow to Lebron James levels. Watching Parker, who is on the West team, and Wiggins, who is on the East team, go head-to-head should be the highlight of the evening.

But those aren’t the only two players to keep your eye on. Joining Parker on the West squad will be Aaron Gordon, who just committed to Arizona this week, and the Harrison twins, Aaron and Andrew, who will be lacing it up for Kentucky next season. Meanwhile, the Harrisons’ future teammate, Julius Randle, might steal the show from Wiggins on the East team.

Before the boys got started, it was the girls’ turn to take the floor. After trailing briefly at 2-0, the West team took the lead and never got it back, finishing with an easy 92-64 victory.  Mercedes Russell showed why she’s the nation’s top recruit by finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the West. Meanwhile, her future teammate at Tennessee, Jordan Reynolds, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Boys game is coming up in about 30 minutes, so keep it locked here for tip.

Okay…I’m back at my seat. I just got some great pictures of the players getting ready to come up, including some amazing shots of Jabari Parker. Check it out on my Twitter: @dcassilo.

East starting lineup: Kasey Hill, Wayne Selden Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Dakari Johnson

West starting lineup: Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Bobby Portis Jr., Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon

9:38 p.m.: Well we have our first highlight reel play of the night as Aaron Harrison throws down an alley-oop from his brother, Andrew. Next trip down, Andrew gets a bucket of his own. There’s two reasons Kentucky might have the best class since the Fab Five.

9:42 p.m.: West holds an 11-6 lead right now. If you’re looking for Wiggins and Parker, they are both wearing No. 22. Wiggins has 2 points and Parker is scoreless so far.

9:44 p.m.: Aaron Gordon is having a heck of week so far. He announced he was attending Arizona, and he’s had a couple of thunderous slam dunks. Looking like an early pick to steal the MVP from Parker or Wiggins…17-8 West.

9:48 p.m.: After the TV timeout, both Parker and Wiggins take a seat, so use this time to get to know the rest of these great players.

9:53 p.m.: Second TV timeout, and the West leads 20-13. One player that has really impressed so far is Anthony Barber. The NC State-bound point guard is a great with the ball in his hands, and he’s had plenty of moves that have excited the crowd.

9:58 p.m.: It doesn’t seem like Wiggins has done a lot, but he quietly has six points and two steals. Meanwhile, he’s locking down defensively on Parker.

10:00 p.m.: A three-pointer from Wayne Selden Jr. ties the game at 22. It’s pretty clear that we’re in for a much better game than the girls’ game was.

10:01 p.m.: Parker gets his first basket of the night, but he also fouls Wiggins. It’s his second foul of the night. Has anyone ever fouled out of this game?

10:05 p.m.: A couple of observations as the West hold a 34-30 lead. 1) It’s extremely difficult to see the uniform numbers on these new jerseys. 2) Unlike recent years, there isn’t a player in this class that has the same skill set as Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel.

10:10 p.m.: Inbounds alley-oop to Jarell Martin is the early candidate for play of the night. Gordon and his 12 points, leading the way for MVP.

10:15 p.m.: It cannot be understated how good Kentucky will be next season. Every player they have in this game has done something impressive tonight, and it’s hard for me to pick who I like the most. Don’t forget Alex Poythress and Kyle Wiltjer are still around.

10:21 p.m.: Gordon might finish with the most points in this game, but Wiggins has been the best player so far. He’s incredibly patient and good things happen whenever he’s around the ball. Just threw down a two-handed jam, but his East squad trails 55-42.

10:23 p.m.: Right before half, Randle has a pretty reverse alley-oop. With all of this Parker and Wiggins talk, he’s been the forgotten man this season. As we hit halftime, the West leads 56-44. Gordon leads all scorers with 14 points, while Wiggins has 12 points for the East. Be back in 15 minutes for the second half.

10:42 p.m.: OK, we’re back and ready for the second half!

10:48 p.m.: In addition to Barber, another guy who has impressed is Martin. He has some great athleticism, and he is yet another solid building block at LSU.

10:55 p.m.: Another fastbreak huge slam for Gordon. If Gordon winds up winning MVP, it will be very reminiscent of when I was here in 2011, and James Michael McAdoo got the honor. West leads 74-54.

10:58 p.m.: Our chances of a good game here seem to be fleeting, as the West is up 20 points. As hope we get a lot of highlight worthy plays over the last 10 minutes to salvage this.

10:59 p.m.: As I type that, the East cuts the lead to 13 points. Parker has 10 points and 6 rebounds, and there will be some pressure to give him MVP if the West hangs on, but he’s an abysmal 4-for-13 from the field.

11:09 p.m.: A dunk by Keith Frazier cuts the West lead down to 11 points, which is the closest it’s been in quite some time. Perhaps we can still have a game here.

11:13 p.m.: Parker does a Q+A on the big screen during a TV timeout, and the crowd goes nuts. They love this kid. By the way, 15,818 people here tonight.

11:17 p.m.: A fastbreak layup for Demetrius Jackson cuts the West lead to six points, then a dunk by Dakari Johnson makes its 94-90. We have a game!

11:18 p.m.: The West responds with back-to-back baskets and is up 98-90. Gordon is now up to 20 points and five rebounds. He’s MVP unless the East steals this one.

11:26 p.m.: They didn’t result in anything, but Gordon just had a couple of pretty passes. He can do everything well for a man his size.

11:28 p.m.: Gordon just capped off a monster night with a devastating slam dunk. He’s at 24 points and 8 rebounds and checks out of the game. Ladies and gentleman, your MVP.

11:29 p.m.: West leads by 9 points here with less than a minute to go. I’m going to head down so I can get there in time for interviews. This was a fun night. Hope you had a good time!

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After narrowing down his list to Oregon, Kentucky, Arizona and Washington, arguably the best dunker in the nation and a legit top 5 player regardless of position, Aaron Gordon, announced to the world a few minutes ago, “I hope Tucson is celebrating because I’m about to be a West Coast Wildcat.” Check out the video of the announcement here.

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Aaron Gordon has been drawing a lot of comparisons to Blake Griffin for his explosive athleticism and dunking ability, and the video above shows why. Gordon, a Cali native, wrapped up his senior year with a disappointing loss in the title game against Mater Dei (CA), but the young man has a lot to look forward to. A consensus Top-10 recruit, Gordon will make his college decision at this year’s McDonald’s All-American game in Chicago and will immediately impact whichever program he commits to.

H/T to YayAreasFinest

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From our friends at the McDonald’s All American Games:

The McDonald’s All American Games just announced the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Finalists via @McDAAG.

The list of deserving players includes:

Boys
o   Aaron Gordon, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, CA)
o   Aaron Harrison, William B. Travis (Richmond, TX)
o   Andrew Harrison, William B. Travis (Richmond, TX)
o   Dakari Johnson, Montverde Academy, FL (New York, NY)
o   Jabari Parker, Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, IL)
o   Andrew Wiggins, Huntington Prep, WV (Thornhill, ON)

Girls
o   Lexie Brown, North Gwinnet (Suwanee, GA)
o   Kaela Davis, Buford High School (Buford, GA)
o   Diamond DeShields, Norcross (Norcross, GA)
o   Linnae Harper, Whitney Young (Chicago, IL)
o   Taya Reimer, Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, IN)
o   Mercedes Russell, Springfield High (Springfield, OR)

Each year, the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year (POY) Award recognizes the nation’s top male and female player who demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership, and embodies the values of being a student-athlete in both schoolwork and community affairs. Previous award winners include Shane Battier (1997), Jay Williams (1999), Candace Parker (2004) and Austin Rivers (2011), among others.

For more information on these players, including detailed biographies visit http://www.mcdepk.com/2013allamericangames/media.html

Player of the Year Winners will be announced on Monday, March 18. A special event will be held at the nation’s largest Ronald McDonald House in Chicago to honor our winners. As a reminder, the 2013 McDonald’s All American Games will tip-off on Wednesday, April 3 from Chicago’s United Center, with net proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities.

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Jordan Brand announced the complete East and West rosters for the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic today. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, SLAM HS Diarists Andrew and Aaron Harrison and 18 more of the nation’s top prospects will be at the Barclays Center as the JBC heads to Brooklyn on April 13.

Additional selections for this year’s event include:

Julius Randle (Dallas, Undecided)
Joel Embiid (Gainesville, FL/Kansas)
Tyler Ennis (Newark, NJ/Syracuse)
Aaron Gordon (San Jose, CA/Undecided)
Kasey Hill (Montverde, FL/Florida)
Kuran Iverson (Waynesboro, VA/Memphis)
Rondae Jefferson (Chester, PA/Arizona)
Dakari Johnson (Montverde, FL/Kentucky)
Matt Jones (DeSoto, TX/Duke)
Marcus Lee (Antioch, CA/Kentucky)
Kennedy Meeks (Charlotte, NC/North Carolina)
Bobby Portis (Little Rock, AR/Arkansas)
Wayne Selden (Tilton, NH/Kansas)
Noah Vonleh (New Hampton, NH/Indiana)
Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL/Florida)
Troy Williams (Mouth of Wilson, VA/Indiana)
Nigel Williams-Goss (Henderson, NV/Washington)
James Young (Rochester, MI/Kentucky)

Check out the rest of the details from our friends at Jordan:

BROOKLYN (Feb. 12, 2013) – Today, Jordan Brand announced its star-filled roster for the 12th Annual Jordan Brand Classic, taking place on April 13 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Following in the footsteps of current Jordan athletes and former Jordan Brand Classic alumn Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and recently signed Blake Griffin, the next generation of superstar talent will take the floor in a nationally-televised game live on ESPN2.

Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., has selected 22 of the top prospects in the country, including all of the Top-10 rated players from the ESPN 100, highlighted by No.1 Andrew Wiggins (Huntington, WV/Undecided), No. 2 Jabari Parker (Chicago, Duke), No. 3 Andrew Harrison (Ft. Bend, TX/Kentucky), No. 4 Julius Randle (Dallas, Undecided) and No. 5 Aaron Harrison (Ft. Bend, TX/Kentucky).

The Jordan Brand Classic event will also include a Regional Game, showcasing the top prep players from the New York metropolitan area in a “City vs. Suburbs” showdown, and the sixth annual International Game featuring the top 16-and-under players from around the world.

The tripleheader will begin with the International Game at 3:30 PM followed by the Regional Game at 5:30 PM, and the All-American Game at 8:00 PM. The International and regional rosters will be announced at a later date.

“This year’s roster could be one of the most talented in the 12 years of the Jordan Brand Classic – even with an alumni list that has become the who’s who of basketball,” said Larry Miller, President of Jordan Brand. “The event will be an incredible showcase of talent reaching millions of people around the world through ESPN2 and in person at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.”

Additional selections for this year’s event include Joel Embiid (Gainesville, FL/Kansas), Tyler Ennis (Newark, NJ/Syracuse), Aaron Gordon (San Jose, CA/Undecided), Kasey Hill (Montverde, FL/Florida), Kuran Iverson (Waynesboro, VA/Memphis), Rondae Jefferson (Chester, PA/Arizona), Dakari Johnson (Montverde, FL/Kentucky), Matt Jones (DeSoto, TX/Duke), Marcus Lee (Antioch, CA/Kentucky), Kennedy Meeks (Charlotte, NC/North Carolina), Bobby Portis (Little Rock, AR/Arkansas), Wayne Selden (Tilton, NH/Kansas), Noah Vonleh (New Hampton, NH/Indiana), Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL/Florida), Troy Williams (Mouth of Wilson, VA/Indiana), Nigel Williams-Goss (Henderson, NV/Washington) and James Young (Rochester, MI/Kentucky).

Tickets for the Jordan Brand Classic are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center, online at BarclaysCenter.com and ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For more information, visit the official web site, www.JordanBrandClassic.com or follow the JBC on Twitter @JordanClassic.

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January is always a busy time for high school hoops, as many of the nation’s top recruits travel to various tournaments and showcases across the country. With the cameras turned on, players like Aaron Gordon, Isaac Hamilton, Tim Myles, Nigel Williams-Goss and others displayed the precocious athleticism, ball-handling and talent that make them, well, some of the nation’s top recruits. Peep the tape above for the 15 best plays of last month.

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Over the weekend, the nation’s best high school ballers landed in Springfield, MA for the ’13 version of Spalding’s Hoophall Classic. The weekend was jam-packed full of dunks, buzzer-beaters and ankle breakers by the stars of tomorrow. As expected, Duke-commit Jabari Parker and Bay Area native, Aaron Gordon stole the show with their performances. Our friends at BallIsLife were there to catch all the action and bring you the best of the best.

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by Farmer Jones / portraits Atiba Jefferson

Aaron Gordon was ticking off the names of his fellow prep All-Americans, and he sounded more than a little annoyed. “I know Jabari has played, the twins have played, Marcus has played,” Gordon was saying. “I think maybe it’s a conspiracy to keep us down.”

All right, so it wasn’t really that serious. Gordon was simply miffed that, as of early December, while some of the best-known names in the Class of 2013 were already lighting up scoreboards, he and his San Jose (CA) Archbishop Mitty squad had yet to start their season. He wasn’t actually mad that his highly ranked peers were already on the court, but he was itching to get out there himself. This is a kid who loves playing the game, and it shows.

When Mitty’s season did finally start, Gordon scored a dunk-filled 18 points (in barely more than a half) to get the defending state champs off to a good start. He was the focal point on opening night, and it’ll be like that all year. Not only is he one of the top-10 players in the nation, but he’s setting the tone for a Mitty squad that lost four of five starters. Best believe he’s up for it.

“Another state title is all we can set our aspirations for. We can’t make excuses,” Gordon says. “There’s a lot of expectations, and everyone looks up to me. I’m going to lead by example, and everybody has to follow.”

Such talk is born from talent, confidence and perspective, traits Gordon has in excess. The talent is obvious to anyone who has seen the athletic 6-8—“6-8 and a quarter,” he insists—223-pound forward in action. Accurately self-described as a “mismatch player,” Gordon says he feels at home as a big, small or point forward. “Some college coaches want me as a point forward, others want me as a solid 3,” he says, “I don’t really consider myself having a true position.”

Of course, such versatility is part of Gordon’s massive appeal to those college coaches, particularly the small handful whose interest he’s still considering. As of late-December, Gordon’s list was down to Arizona, Kentucky and Washington. “I’m just playing it by ear,” he says. “I wake up one day thinking I’m going somewhere, and go to sleep thinking I’m going somewhere else.”

A conundrum that brings us back to perspective, something Gordon earned during his older brother Drew’s ill-fated recruitment by UCLA. “That completely backfired on my family,” Gordon says of his brother’s tumultuous time in Westwood, which ended with Drew transferring to New Mexico, his reputation tarnished and eventually playing overseas. “I’ve seen that some coaches are very truthful, say exactly what they mean, while others say what they mean at first… it just kind of opened my eyes.”

Gordon should benefit from having had a front-row seat to his brother’s experience; he might also benefit from not needing to stay at whatever college for more than a year. A player who admires Kobe, Carmelo and KD for their ability to make the game “operate on their timetable” has the chance to do the same with his basketball future. If his confidence and perspective continue to serve him well, Gordon won’t have to wait ’til December for the season start much longer.

After all, the NBA usually tips off around Halloween.

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