Aaron Gordon reportedly is stepping back into the dunk contest after last year’s stellar showing. The stage will be completely his.
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon is set to return to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest according to a report from Basketball Insiders’ Oliver Maroney and ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes.
Gordon should be the clear favorite to win the contest. To many people, he should have won the dunk contest in 2016 in Toronto after wowing the crowd with his athleticism and ingenuity.
His “sit-down” dunk, when he went over Orlando Magic mascot STUFF with his legs parallel to the ground, was the highlight of the evening.
Even champion Zach LaVine said he thought he and Gordon should have split the trophy. The show Gordon and LaVine put on was the highlight of the weekend and one of the best dunk contests in some time.
Gordon will now re-enter the contest with a ton of expectations to win it. Or at least match what he did last year. The expectations are going to be high for Gordon to put on a show.
Judging by some of the dunks Gordon has thrown in game, including a 360 dunk on a runout against the Philadelphia 76ers, there is no shortage of athleticism and dunking ingenuity in Gordon. He seems perfectly capable of an encore.
The bad news is Gordon may not get his rematch. According to Haynes and Maroney, LaVine does not plan to compete in this year’s dunk contest in New Orleans.
It should still be a stacked field. Haynes reports Phoenix Suns forward Derrick Jones will participate in the contest. And there are certainly other players who could make a run at the title.
Gordon is clearly the favorite. He will be the biggest name in the contest.
He has taken some steps forward in his regular play too. Gordon is averaging a career-high 11.6 points per game and shooting a career-best 30.4 percent from beyond the arc. Since December 1, Gordon is averaging 12.9 points per game and has seen his field goal percentage rebound to 46.8 percent overall. He has had to adjust to playing almost exclusively at small forward.
Those are the stats that matter and what ultimately matters for the team.
With the All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, Gordon will be back in the spotlight again. This time, he is going for the title.
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