Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine looking to move beyond Dunk Contest
The last time Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine were on a NBA basketball court together, they were engaging in the mano-e mano dunk contest that was seemingly 18 years in the making. Not since Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins faced off in 1988 had a one-on-one dunk contest captivated the entire league and transcended everything else that weekend. These two virtually unknown role players for teams far out of the playoff race at that time were, for a few minutes, at the absolute epicenter of the NBA world.
When the league finally stopped the contest and declared a winner, everyone was clamoring for more. There was an election-like split on who fans though won. Gordon had his supporters and LaVine had his. Plus the trophy.
LaVine, to his credit, has said on numerous occasions he would not mind splitting the trophy with Gordon. And just about every fan wants to see the two go at it again in New Orleans this February during the All-Star festivities.
Read More: LeBron James has a new pick-and-roll combination we should all fear
Gordon is not ready to commit to it yet. February is still a long, long way away. The two though are tied together by this moment. They were part of the same promotional tours this summer, including a trip to China. They starred together in a Nike commercial that aired during the Olympics.
“We’re both very casual, relaxed dudes,” Aaron Gordon said after the Magic’s practice Tuesday. “We chop it up, joke about it and laugh about it. We both know we put on a show.”
That show is still the talk of the league in many ways. Everyone is wondering exactly how they or anyone could top it. Of course, it is just a silly dunk contest. They still have basketball jobs after they are done entertaining us with free-throw-line leaps and scaling mascots in a single bound.
In some ways they are fighting to escape its legacy and prove they are more than the uber athletes who wow the league one day every year in a contest. They want to be basketball players too.
And both have faced their struggles on that front.
Zach LaVine is further along on that progression — averaging 17.7 points per game for the Timberwolves, shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc. Now playing off the ball, he is showing a lot more confidence on his drives and his shot.
LaVine is proving he is more than his athleticism and a big reason why there is so much optimism about the Wolves’ growing young core. LaVine can grow into one of those good filler layers, an athlete who can hit shots from the perimeter. There is just a lot of growing to do on that 1-5 Timberwolves team.
Aaron Gordon is going through a transition of his own, but is starting to mature in a different way.
Gordon is playing the 3, controversially, and is having his own hiccups there. Never a strong offensive player, his scoring is up to 11.6 points per game and he is shooting a more respectable 36.4 percent on 3-pointers, after being less than 30 percent in the first two years of his career. His offensive game is still largely an experiment off the dribble. The dunk is still his most powerful offensive weapon.
But Gordon has taken a massive step up defensively. He has posted a 1.5 Defensive Box Plus-Minus so far this season on one of the worst defensive teams in the league so far. And opponents are shooting 39.3 percent when Gordon defends them, according to NBA.com.
That is getting near elite defensive levels. So it seems he has begun to find his niche in the league.
Neither are approaching All-Star status. Gordon, as the fourth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, likely faces more scrutiny for that. Especially now with the Magic trying to force their way into the Playoffs, experimenting with him out of position to do so. LaVine has the luxury of playing a bit more of a secondary role with potential stars in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
The two players will still make their highlight plays. They will still be in the running when it is time to start dunking in February.
But they still need to become more to make their marks in regular season games in the NBA.
Until then, enjoy the highlights.