Eric Gordon: A Huge Piece To The Houston Rockets Championship Puzzle
The summer of 2016 will go down in history as the best for plenty of NBA players. Tyler Johnson will never forget the time he threw up as a reaction after hearing he was offered a $50 million contract by the Brooklyn Nets that would later be matched by the Miami Heat. Solomon Hill’s four-year $48 million contract for being a 4.9 point per game scorer may go down as one of the most mind-blowing decisions by the New Orleans Pelicans. For Eric Gordon, it wasn’t particularly about the dollar amount that would be life changing. It was finally signing with a team in the Houston Rockets that he felt would allow him to showcase his full arsenal.
Gordon was highly regarded as one of the best players in the 2007–08 NBA Draft. The 6'4" shooting guard out of Indiana University dominated the collegiate ranks in his lone season averaging 20.9 points per game and ultimately being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a Third Team All-American. During this time, there were still plenty of questions surrounding one-and-done players and their ability to translate quickly to the NBA game. With Gordon’s elite scoring knack to go along with a well-developed body, there was little doubt that he could be a productive NBA player for years to come.
The Los Angeles Clippers snagged Gordon with the seventh overall pick. The Clippers only won 23 games in Gordon’s first season, but he made sure to prove that at 19 years old, he would be a force to be reckoned with as the years passed.
In December of 2011, the famous trade between the Clippers and the at the time New Orleans Hornets that included Chris Paul was finalized. Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman, and a first round draft pick were headed to New Orleans in exchange for Chris Paul and two future second-round draft picks. From the Hornets’ point of view, replacing Paul was impossible, but acquiring a young, promising scorer in Gordon gave them a player who they could build around for the future.
Gordon had other plans. After just one season in New Orleans, he signed an offer sheet with the Phoenix Suns that he was hoping to have become official. Instead, the Hornets matched the four-year $58 million offer. Injuries had become all too familiar to Gordon as he entered his fifth summer as a professional and Phoenix was known for having one of the top training staffs in the league.
Gordon told Michael Lee of The Vertical:
“I had always heard Phoenix had a great staff and that was the reason why I signed there. It was nothing against New Orleans, I just thought [Phoenix] had a better training staff for me,” Gordon told The Vertical. “Being a restricted free agent, everybody is going to go through that. This is a system that’s mainly for teams to get a hold of their young star athletes.”
Gordon had to make the most of his time in New Orleans. He would end up spending another four seasons playing for the Hornets/Pelicans, but a plethora of injuries kept him from truly hitting his stride. From 2012–2016, Gordon played in 212 of the 328 possible games as he dealt with a lingering knee injury that sidelined him for the majority of the DNPs. Two years ago, Gordon suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder, then last season he underwent surgery after breaking the ring finger of his shooting hand.
It was safe to say that Gordon had developed the reputation of a player who had all the potential in the world, but can’t seem to stay off of the inactive list. Entering the 2016 free agency market, there were a few shooting guards to choose from. The Rockets were able to sign Gordon to a four-year $53 million contract to come in and add another outside shooter next to James Harden in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s system.
The fit from first glance seemed perfect. More time than not, first glance reaction usually don’t play out well. This one has. Gordon has been the perfect fit in Houston for more reasons than could be imagined. First and foremost, he’s played in 30 of the 31 games and has shown no signs of any old injuries flaring up.
Gordon’s role is pretty simple: be a scoring machine off the bench and when sharing the court with Harden, stay shot-ready in the corner for when Harden penetrates and kicks.
His three-point attempt rate and true shooting percentage has seen a significant boost this season:
Patrick Beverley missed the first chunk of the season, which called for Gordon to make eight starts, but he’s been most effective off the bench. A big reason why his fit in Houston is so perfect is because he has the opportunity to be the number one option offensively when D’Antoni rolls out a full bench lineup. This way, he has the chance to make plays off the dribble and in pick-and-roll situations.
D’Antoni has an offense that suits every shooter’s dreams, and it was perfect timing in Gordon’s career to be in such a system. It wouldn’t be fair or accurate to say Gordon was on his way to being out of the league, but there was no denying that his overall value was deteriorating.
Gordon’s 17.4 points per game ranks second on the team and is the reason the Rockets have top-10 scoring bench thus far. Perhaps the most impressive stat for Gordon is his 121 made three-point field goals, which leads the entire NBA. As we creep toward the halfway mark of the season, Gordon’s name has dominated Sixth Man of the Year conversation and the Rockets continue to make their argument for being a top three team in the Western Conference. At 24–9, they hold a 2 game advantage on the Los Angeles Clippers. Take into mind Harden’s dominance next to Gordon’s surge in production, there are no signs of slowing down.
