Reflecting on Aaron Gordon's Success After Arizona

Arizona Wildcats basketball has been synonymous with the NBA and producing star-level talent. From high-level sharpshooters like Steve Kerr to NBA Finals MVPs like Andre Iguodala, the list could go on and on.

Denver Nuggets small forward/power forward Aaron Gordon fits into that category as one of those players who make a difference on the team he plays for.

Gordon’s one year with Arizona was an impressive one to say the least. During that stretch, he played and started in all 38 games and averaged 12.4 points, a team high 8.0 rebounds, 49.5 percent shooting on 31.2 minutes played.

Gordon was a huge reason why Arizona made it to the Elite 8 in 2014. In the postseason, he averaged 14.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 61 percent shooting and 33.8 minutes.

Gordon did not leave Arizona without any hardware. He earned multiple awards such as the Pac 12 Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Pac 12, Pac 12 All-Freshman team and so on.

He’s an incredible player, but to me, what separates Aaron Gordon is who he is as a person in his collective attitude,” Former Arizona head coach Sean Miller said after a win over San Deiago State. “He’s a fun guy to coach, he’s a great teammate, he's a really hard worker, he's a smart kid, very unassuming and he goes about his business like a true professional. We’re lucky to have him.”

Since coming into the league as a No. 4 first-round draft pick for the Orlando Magic, the 6-foot-8 small forward/power forward fulfilled his role as a defensive asset with high potential to score when needed to.

His best scoring season came in 2017, when he averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 43.4 percent shooting and 32.9 minutes.

His offensive game never quite lived up to expectations the way the Magic wanted it to, but Gordon was still a valuable piece to Orlando’s defensive success, to go along with his talent of cutting on the floor and finishing at the rim.

Such offensive prowess at the rim is why he was invited to the NBA Dunk Contest twice and was runner-up both times (2016 and 2020).

Today, Gordon is an efficient role player for the Denver Nuggets. He was traded in March 2021 for multiple players and a 2025 first-round draft pick.

“The thing that excites me about Aaron Gordon is the defensive versatility that he brings to the table,” Former head coach Michael Malone said in a 2020 press conference.

“His ability to guard some fives, fours, threes, some perimeter players. Not a lot of teams have a weapon like that, and I think in the western conference, when you look around the landscape of the west, you need a guy like that…He’s skilled, he’s unselfish, he’s a very good passer, rebounder. His 3-point percentages have increased. I think this was a really important acquisition.”

Gordon’s time with the Magic can be described as a hectic one. He saw four coaching changes and two different general managers.

“When I was there, it was something new every year,” Gordon said in an interview with the Denver Post. “New coaching staff, new GM, new players. It was just so much fluctuation all the time. We didn’t know whether we wanted to tank or whether we were trying to win. It was like having your foot on the gas and the brake at the same time. Burnout.”

Gordon found his role with the Nuggets and was a huge piece in the 2023 championship team. In that year, he averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 56.4 percent shooting in 30.2 minutes played.

"When I first got traded, we saw it," Gordon said in the game 5 post game press conference. "We felt like we had all the pieces in order, put together and then of course injuries. But then we got Brucie B(Bruce Brown), we got KCP (Kentavius Caldwell-Pope). With the addition of them, it was raps."

Gordon signed a four-year contract extension in 2024 with a player option in the 2028-2029 season. He continues to play at an exceptional level after 10 years of ups and downs.