It feels like ages ago that Eric Gordon was set to be one of the NBA's top shooting guards for years to come. Gordon burst onto the scene as a rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers and quickly blossomed into one of the league's better scorers, but injuries derailed his career.
Eric Gordon continues his quiet resurgence against the Warriors
The Pelicans’ guard has bounced back from a number of injuries and is showing why he was so highly valued as a younger player.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon has played just 176 of a possible 312 regular-season games with the New Orleans Pelicans, who acquired the shooting guard in the Chris Paul trade and then matched the maximum-contract offer sheet he signed with the Phoenix Suns in 2012. The Pelicans hadn't received a good return on that investment prior to this year, but Gordon is showing signs of regaining the form that made him look like such a promising young player in Los Angeles.
Gordon quietly shot just under 45 percent from long range this season, good for third in the league behind Luke Babbitt and Kyle Korver. That hot outside shooting has translated to the postseason, as he has knocked down 9-of-17 threes over the first two games of the Pelicans' first-round series against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Along with Anthony Davis, Gordon's hot first quarter in Game 2 helped New Orleans silence the deafening Oracle crowd at the outset of the game before the Warriors rallied and ultimately won to take a 2-0 series lead. Gordon scored 11 of his 23 points in the opening frame, providing some much-needed outside shooting by going 3-of-3 from long range in the quarter.
That shooting early was important because the Pelicans' offense was disjointed otherwise with Omer Asik starting at center. Andrew Bogut had zero interest in guarding the offensively-challenged Asik, instead roaming the paint in order to protect the basket. Gordon's three-point shooting helped stretch the defense out, and Davis then got on a roll when he was moved to center and Ryan Anderson came in to play power forward. New Orleans led by 11 points after the first quarter, setting up what would be a competitive game the rest of the way.
Gordon cooled off after his torrid first quarter, shooting 5-of-14 overall and 2-of-7 from three over the final three quarters. He missed a key wide open three late in the fourth quarter that would have made it a three-point game, and he had three of the Pelicans’ five turnovers in the final frame. It shouldn’t be a surprise that when he slowed down, New Orleans’ offense also found itself stuck in a rut.
With Jrue Holiday out for Game 2 with his ongoing leg issues, Tyreke Evans gutting out big minutes on a bum knee and Anderson struggling to find his stroke, Gordon becomes even more important for the Pelicans on offense. Davis may be a freak, but he can't do it all himself. Gordon will have to be that second guy to carry the load on offense.
Gordon has done an admirable job trying to be that player thus far, but it hasn’t been enough against the Warriors’ juggernaut. However, if the 26-year-old keeps playing well, New Orleans can at least take some solace in that for the future, even if this series ends as expected.
Gordon has a player option for next season worth $15.5 million, and assuming he opts in, the Pelicans will again expect him to be a key part of the offense. Or, perhaps New Orleans would try and trade him as an expiring contract with his value on the rise and the backcourt crowded. He’s still just 26 years old, and if he can stay healthy (always a question), he still has some strong years ahead of him.
For now, it’s just good to see Gordon making an impact in meaningful games after everything he has been through in his injury-riddled career.
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