This is the first installment in a series of five player reviews penned by Charlie and Sumner Widdoes. In this piece, they take a look at Eric Gordon.
When the Clippers drafted Eric Gordon with the seventh pick of the 2008 draft, it appeared that the team had finally found the multi-dimensional perimeter scorer that it had craved for years. During his rookie season, Gordon rained from deep (almost 39 percent from beyond the arc) and disarmed defenders with a shockingly quick first step (one-third of his shots came in the key) proving that he could get his shots off and make them at a tremendously efficient rate. However in year two, when it was hoped he would expand on his offensive arsenal and include more playmaking and intermediate shotmaking, progress stalled: his repertoire remained limited to attempts from beyond the arc or straight line drives to the rim, all while revealing major deficiencies as a passer and ballhandler. Despite all that, Gordon’s efficiency numbers dropped only negligibly while his offensive role grew this season, leaving us with one question to be answered: Does the absence of improvement from year one to year two actually signify a regression?
There are few players that, with the correction of just one weakness, are almost guaranteed to improve spectacularly. Gordon’s deft shooting touch and ability to explode toward the hoop are unquestioned, but it is how he reacts to a collapsing defense off the dribble that remains a concern. Similar to Corey Maggette, Gordon’s primary option off the dribble has been to head straight for the hoop and finish right at the rim, drawing plenty of contact in hopes of drawing a foul along the way. We can expect that as Gordon’s career progresses, referees will show him more respect and put him on the line more often (he drew a foul on 15.5 percent of his field goal attempts last season, up from 13.6 percent as a rookie).
But there must be something more, and for Gordon those other options will only reveal themselves if he improves his handle. According to 82Games.com, Gordon posted a “Hands” Rating – a stat measuring playmaking ability in terms of offensive fouls, bad passes, and ball handling turnovers – of 13.0 last season. Compared with other top shooting guards, Gordon lags far behind the competition. Dwyane Wade (22.8), Joe Johnson (20.5), Kobe Bryant (19.4) and Brandon Roy (18.4) all have Gordon bested in this category by a large margin. Even many of the league’s mid-level two guards rank higher than Gordon: Rip Hamilton (19.6), Jason Richardson (15.1), Courtney Lee (15.3) and O.J. Mayo (14.4), being just some of the names. So many times this year it appeared as though Gordon was too quick for his own abilities, almost moving twice as fast as the ball. There is little doubt that Gordon can get his body to the places he needs to be on the floor, but too often he just can’t get the ball to catch up with him.
Gordon’s improvement as a playmaker has been a priority for the Clippers’ coaching staff since last offseason, which illustrates that it certainly is not an easy task. There have been plenty of great 3-point shooters in NBA history, but few that combined that with an explosive ability to get to the rack. Even fewer still had the aforementioned skills complemented by a killer handle and stellar court vision. Gordon has the foundation to add these new components, and if he does, he will make a noticeable jump in his third season.
Still, a concern that remains unsolved is Gordon’s rebounding. For those who contend that, as an undersized two-guard, he is simply ill-equipped to grab more than three boards a game, look no further than the 6-foot-1 Rajon Rondo. Compare Rondo’s 13.0 rebounding rate to Gordon’s 7.4, and then factor in that Gordon is two inches taller. Granted, Gordon is often matched up defensively against much bigger players, but it seems rebounding is less about size than it is about aggression and a keen understanding of how a round ball bounces off a round metal rim. Clipper fans got used to Elton Brand grabbing ten rebounds a game and may have forgotten that he often gave up two or three inches to his opponents. In his book “A Sense of Where You Are,” John McPhee described how Bill Bradley tirelessly studied the ways balls bounced off the rim and how he could position himself to catch them. It may be a stretch to ask Gordon to approach basketball the way a Rhodes scholar did forty years ago, but it certainly is not too much to ask your starting shooting guard to break the 2.6 rebounds per game threshold.
How he fits
Far more likely is the scenario in which Gordon continues to work on his playmaking skills and in-between game in an effort to take a leap forward in his third season, one in which the Clippers will again count on his improvement if they hope to contend for the playoffs. The front office can do its part to help Gordon, primarily by providing a suitable counterpart on the wing to open things up a bit. The search for the “glue guy” small forward led the team to Rasual Butler last season, but despite his occasionally proficient three-point shooting, he lacked the versatile offensive game to actually take any pressure off of Gordon. LeBron James is arguably the best player in the league and he plays the position of biggest need for the Clippers, but in the likely event that he signs elsewhere, the team would still be in the market for a wing opposite Gordon. Players like Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng appear to fit the profile, but only time will tell what it would take to acquire players of their caliber.
Ceiling/Floor
It’s hard to imagine Gordon’s floor being lower than his 2009 performance. His PER dropped from 14.98 as a rookie to 14.15, and his True Shooting Percentage from 59.3 to 57.1 in 2010. While we have grown cautious of assuming improvement with Gordon, thanks to last season, we also know one thing: no one believes his 2010 numbers inflate his value. If anything, his history indicates he is a better three-point and free throw shooter than he showed last year. Even without improving his handle and decision-making, it’s still hard to see him regressing from last year’s performance. A worst-case scenario could involve a new coach who fails to incorporate his strengths and exposes his weaknesses, but Gordon’s skill set makes it seem unlikely that he doesn’t at least maintain his performance from last year.
Like the college freshman who opts to return for his sophomore season, Gordon’s “stock” may have dropped slightly in 2010 by virtue of merely providing more film for teams to find flaws. In many ways he failed to live up to raised expectations, but he also battled injuries and more coaching turmoil. As a result, Gordon is entering this offseason with goals similar to those he had a year ago. The “sophomore slump” is commonly used to explain the tendency of the league adjusting to a player that may have benefited from lack of exposure as a rookie. Entering his third season, though, Gordon may be in position to use his experiences last year to make his own adjustments to the way the league has responded to him. If he does so, a return to the efficiency levels seen in his rookie season would not be surprising, and given increased involvement in a stable offense, you could reasonably expect Gordon to top 20 points and five assists per game for the first time in his career.
Aside from Blake Griffin, from whom we have seen the least but expect (or hope for) the most, the continued development and contributions of Eric Gordon may be the most crucial factor in the Clippers success for next season and beyond.
25 Responses
Great review, I hope Gordon gets the green light to score from his new coach. He could be a little to fast for himself because he may be overthinking if his shot attempts are within the offensive scheme. It seemed like gordon was the 4th option in many of the clippers games. I think he should be the 2nd option behind kaman with davis being the 3rd. Unless we get lebron lol
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Clipped Reply:
May 30th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
I have a great respect EJ not because of his talent & maturity but for his total commitment to this team. He’s a team FIRST guy who doesn’t think much about his stats nor his status as a player. He’s a great human being. I’d always wish him best of luck no matter where he plays.
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pez Reply:
May 30th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Excellent comment, I feel the same way.
Great post too, thoroughly enjoyable read. So often we hear players refer to “the game slowing down” for themselves…after your analysis I hope Eric can experience this soon.
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Posted on May 29th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Excellent read, thanks!
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Posted on May 29th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
gordon obviously should have been first option last year and should be next year thats if we dont get james he could score many ways and he will improve as long as hes along side griffin who will also be determined to go all out
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 12:44 am
I have to agree that his slight dip in numbers were due to other team adjusting to him.
Question about boards: even if he wanted to, could he have improved his number on the glass with Camby and Kaman relatively healthy and available all year long? They gobbled up a lot of boards.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 6:55 am
I have to agree that his slight dip in numbers were due to other team adjusting to him.
Question about boards: even if he wanted to, could he have improved his number on the glass with Camby and Kaman relatively healthy and available all year long? They gobbled up a lot of boards.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Eric seems like a hard worker who wants to get better. I think that it will show this year. Don’t forget how young he is. Great analysis. I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the series.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 7:39 am
Dribble drills daily until next season.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 9:00 am
While all of that holds true, something worth harping on is his defensive presence. Despite being a bit short at SG position, overall he did an excellent job at turning the league’s top SGs into volume shooters: i.e. Kobe, Wade, and Roy.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
What are the chances that Eric will either read this thread himself or have it shown to him by someone on the Clippers?
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Sumner Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I can’t speak to whether Eric will see this or not, but hopefully he doesn’t have to. I’d like to think that the Clippers’ coaching staff is already keyed into a lot of the things we brought up in the post.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Looks like Turkoglu is probably out of Toronto. One more SF on the market.
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chris. Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 10:01 am
Now that is a contract we really don’t want to go near.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I don’t have a problem EJ’s rebounding numbers, but I do have a problem with his laziness to block out. Many times, he would fail to block out his man at crucial times of the game. It could be due to him leaning so much on Camby and Kaman to clean up the boards.
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Posted on May 30th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
for the right price, i’d say lets go after matt barnes and channing frye since both are opting out. we can really use barnes’ defense, and having a PF/C that can spread the floor for blake will be really nice.
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Posted on May 31st, 2010 at 10:16 am
I think Gordon is a great player, but I am a little worried that there is something about this organization that brings out the worst in a player the longer they’re here. Al Thornton is the perfect example; his rookie year showed the same kind of potential as Gordon’s, and his second year brought the same kind of concern. I’m crossing my fingers that the rest of the progression looks different.
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Pez Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 8:56 am
There are plenty of counter examples…most recently you have to consider that the Clippers brought out the best in Brand & Maggette, something both of their new teams have been unable to do.
Thornton is IMHO a much more flawed player than Gordon…and he was 4 years older as a rookie than EJ, leaving EJ a lot more room to fulfill his potential.
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Posted on May 31st, 2010 at 9:32 pm
No mention of Gordon’s superior defense? Hard to quantify I suppose but Gordon was the Clipper’s best wing defender… by far. Rasual Butler came in with a reputation as a good defender and he was decent as was Baron Davis. But both their performances only underlined Gordon’s great quickness and strength on the defensive end. He almost always had the toughest defensive assignment, handling quick point guards Baron Davis couldn’t cover or stronger, taller two’s and three’s Butler couldn’t handle. Even with his weaknesses, I’ll take four more Eric Gordons please.
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Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 10:32 am
Looks more like Phil Jackson will be a free agent this summer. Jeanie Buss says Phil can coach another team if he chooses….
As far as EG, He is 21 and has an entire NBA career to develop. Look at Kaman for example; he always showed flashes and did not become consistent till his 5th, 6th and 7th year.
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Qlippers Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 11:44 am
There is no way Phil chooses another team, his Girlfriend Buss says “he can coach another team”? . I don’t know any girlfriend who says “it’s okay to look at another girl while I’m standing next to you”.
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Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 11:12 am
Eric Gordon is a good player. He will never reach his potential as long as Davis is running the point. Davis brings the ball up and just casts 3’s with Eric wide open beggin for the ball. He only gets 10-12 shots a game, pretty low for a shooting guard. That being said, I like Xavier Henry at the 2 because he is 6′6 and can get his own shot, that is needed seeing as Davis will be Davis. As far as the Draft, Take babbit.
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Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 11:57 am
What is a 35yr old Ray Allen worth now? He will be a free agent this summer – will Boston pay him $10MM+ at this age? Too old to build anything around, but he should be a nice player for a few more yrs. I would rather pay him a little more ($10MM) for a short (2-3yr) contract, than paying $12MM for someone like Iggy with a 5 yr contract (escalating to $15.9MM).
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Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I agree with Jay. I was disappointed in Gordon’s play last year. At times, he seemed like THE go to guy in crunch time. At other times, he seemed out of sync. He and Baron have an interesting dynamic — would not characterize them as best buds, although they are cordial when the cameras are rolling. Gordon tends to pout and doesn’t yet have the huevos to LEAD vocally in the locker room. He has to get in Baron’s grill a little more when Baron is slacking and NOT LEADING the team the way a $55 million-dollar free agent so-called “star” should. He also has to start being a lot more aggressive looking for his shot (and taking it to the hole more) because when he’s on, the Clippers have a chance to win. When he’s off, the Clips struggle because Baron and Kaman are not good enough to carry this team. I expect EJ to come correct this next season. We Clipper fans should expect more from our team and not be so myopic about the talent we have. If there is a 2 available in free agency like Joe Johnson, EJ needs to go to the bench or be moved. He’s no Joe Johnson.
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Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 3:04 pm
As EJ gets older and more experience, he will get better. This kid is only 21 years old and won’t be 22 until the middle of next season. I think it says something about his progress to make the 15 man roster for Team USA this summer. Coach K and Colangelo are no dummies when it comes to talent and for them to pikc Gordon means he is doing things right.
I see no reason why EJ can’t be a 18points (48% fg and 39% 3pt), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals guy next year.
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Posted on July 28th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
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