Eric Gordon and the helpfulness of finding a role
Eric Gordon‘s tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans has been bad to put it bluntly. The constantly injured shooting guard was the prized return piece in the Chris Paul trade, and he was supposed to be the next big time NBA guard.
Instead, a failed escape to Phoenix and a flurry of injuries, with some bad play thrown in, have put Gordon in a bad situation with the franchise. Fans want him traded, and the Pelicans don’t seem too keen on giving him a new contract after he expires at the end of 2016.
With that contract in mind, it’s safe to say that Gordon needs to have a strong finish in New Orleans if he wants to return, or get a decent contract in free agency. However, while Gordon’s input will matter, in the end he’s most likely going to have to accept the best possible offer come free agency. If there’s a team that’s willing to pay him the same money a top scorer will get, then good for him, but it’s more likely that he will have to settle into a smaller role no matter where he goes.
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In fact, Gordon has already accepted a smaller role with New Orleans ever since his return from injury, and it’s paying dividends. While Gordon had a rough start, due to some rust, he’s looked much better lately and really gotten into the flow of things.
Over Gordon’s last 10 games, Gordon is averaging 15.5 points, and 4.9 assists per game, but the real key to his success has been his efficiency. Over the same 10 game span, Gordon has a True Shooting Percentage of 61 percent, an effective Field Goal percentage of 58 percent, and he’s doing it all with a usage percentage of 20.8 percent. For comparisons sake, Tyreke Evans and Anthony Davis both have usage percentage in the 25 to 27 percent range over the last 10 games. Anybody that’s watched the Pelicans knows that Gordon has taken a backseat to those two in terms of touching the ball, and running the offense, but many have not noticed how well he has played in that role.
It’s in this role that Gordon has been able to thrive, and get shots where he can be most effective. With players like Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Tyreke Evans soaking up all the defense’s attention it has allowed Gordon to get to the rim without heavy resistance. His usual method of attack is off the pick and roll, but the Pelicans will have him do some occasional off ball cuts in pin down sets.
If Gordon isn’t attacking the rim then he’s going to be playing a three and D role from behind the three-point arc. While the Pelicans will occasionally run a very high pick and roll, to get him an open look, the majority of Gordon’s three-point attempts come off hand offs, catch and shoots, spot ups, etc. On a lot of these sets Gordon will go down low, and use screens to get open shot attempts, but almost all of Gordon’s attempts come from the high parts of the 3-point arc. Which means that Gordon will spend a lot of time in that area of the court, and this sets him up perfectly for getting back on defense, and shooting 3-pointers off offensive rebounds, or broken plays.
As can be seen from his shot chart, over Gordon’s last 10 games he is shooting almost exclusively at the rim, and from behind the three-point arc. Metrics fans have to be thrilled with this, because there isn’t two better areas a player can be shooting than these two areas. Which might be another reason why Gordon has been so successful since his return.
There is no way to know if Gordon will stay healthy, and continue to play well for the rest of the season. It would be nice to see him finally finish out a season strong and healthy, but it’s fair to be skeptical of that. However, looking at the way he’s been playing in his new role it’s pretty obvious that he’s succeeding in it. Gordon has gone from the main scoring option to the third, or even fourth offensive option. He plays off ball, defenses have to focus on other areas, and Gordon picks his spots. He almost always shoots in high metric areas like the rim, and behind the three-point arc. The high volume 15 shots per game Eric Gordon is no more, and you know what — that’s okay, because he’s succeeding in his new role. Right now, his success is more important to the Pelicans, and himself, than anything else.
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