Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon with nasty block (Video)
By Bryan Rose
The Orlando Magic opened up their 2014 Summer League campaign on Saturday afternoon and on their roster was Aaron Gordon, the No. 4 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. It was a game filled with both excitement and terror and Elfrid Payton, another top pick in the draft suffered what looked to be a devastating ankle injury.
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Thankfully, despite being carried off the court, Payton looked to avoid any serious injury. That allowed those in the arena to give out a collective exhale, something they also did when the aforementioned Aaron Gordon showed off the athletic ability that made him a top five draft pick.
The play unfolded with Philadelphia 76ers’ K.J. McDaniels running down the court, waiting for a pass from his point guard. Seeing little resistance in the lane, McDaniels decided he’d continue to press towards the rim after receiving the pass and eventually put up a would be layup. That seemed like a solid plan but lurking was Aaron Gordon, who like your favorite superhero, appeared out of no place, rejecting the shot of McDaniels.
Swooping in after he was completely out of the camera view, Gordon grabbed McDaniels’ shot out of mid-air, swallowing it with his absurdly long arms before putting the ball on the floor as he attempted to bring the rock up court.
Needless to say, it left all who witnessed it impressed.
Pretty good basketball smarts from Gordon as well considering he could have emphatically rejected the shot, but wanted to keep possession, so he opted to catch the ball instead.