Aaron Gordon looking at different role

"The Magic hit reset (again)" -- Zach Lowe

"If Serge Ibaka weren't here, Aaron Gordon would be my power forward," [Coach Frank] Vogel said. "But Serge is here. Aaron is going to be playing [small forward]. We are going to put the ball in his hands a lot. We're going to use him like Paul George."

That would make the Magic huge and mobile -- especially when they have Gordon, Ibaka, and Biyombo on the floor together. Those three can switch on defense, pound the glass on offense, and form a six-armed rim-protecting hydra to fix Orlando's glaring weakness. The Magic are plotting a counter-revolution. "In today's small-ball NBA, we think we can beat the [expletive] out of teams in the paint," Vogel said.

Gordon is stoked to stretch his skill set. "I'm gonna be like a third guard," he said. "I'll have a much bigger ballhandling responsibility, and I'm all for that."

The notion of Gordon as primarily a wing is almost shocking, and a massive organizational risk. He can't shoot (yet), and he has very little NBA-level experience as a primary ball handler. Playing Gordon and Ibaka at the forward spots takes them further from the rim on defense, reducing the fear factor of their shot-blocking.

Gordon's limitations on offense didn't matter as much when he played power forward, with three perimeter guys around him. He grew comfortable there last season as a hoppier and less refined version of Draymond Green; he finished better at the rim, drew more free throws, zipped canny passes and cut his turnovers."