Keep Aaron Gordon in check
So far this season, Aaron Gordon is effectively staking his case as an All-Star, and a prime candidate for the Most Improved Player award. Here are his counting numbers for the season: 17.8 points, 7.7 Rebounds, 2.2 assist,one block and one steal per game.
The biggest difference in his game compared to past season, is he has worked himself into a legitimate 3-point threat. He is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range, and he is doing that on 4.6 attempts per game. He had never shot better than 30 percent in his three seasons prior.
He has morphed into an extremely efficient player on offense, who on defense has the capability to guard all five positions.
I would have loved to see the matchup between Derrick Favors and Aaron Gordon, because I believe he is a player who could make him work. With the injury to Rudy Gobert however, Jonas Jerebko and Thabo Sefolosha are likely going to be tasked with handling the uber-athletic Gordon.
Gordon is not a natural scorer, so they are going to need to make him work for every shot. If they can be physical with him and make him rush his shot, he should be in for a rough night.
The key is going to be out hustling Aaron Gordon. He plays at 110 percent, and thrives off of put-backs and out-working players for loose balls. The Jazz are struggling right now, and they can’t afford to be outworked. Gordon is a player who can crush your spirit if you don’t give it your all, and the Jazz can not allow that to happen.