He’s a ‘quality teammate’: Get to know Sixers guard Eric Gordon through the eyes of a Suns beat writer
As the offseason slows down, The Inquirer reaches out to reporters with insight on the Sixers’ newcomers.
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The 76ers’ busy offseason is slowing down. They pulled off the NBA’s splashiest free-agency move by luring perennial All-Star forward Paul George away from his hometown Los Angeles Clippers on a max contract. They also added important complementary players — and brought back key members of the 2023-24 team — in hopes of contending for a championship.
With the roster nearly set, The Inquirer reached out to reporters with insight on the Sixers’ newcomers.
Next up is Kellan Olson, who covered new Sixers signee and veteran sharpshooter Eric Gordon as the Phoenix Suns reporter for Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Q: Gordon came to the Suns last year expected to play a role — veteran shooter to complement a star trio — similar to what he will be asked to do with the Sixers. Why did his one season in Phoenix turn out to be inconsistent to disappointing?
A: Gordon lost steam as the year went on. He shot 46% from the field before the All-Star break, and in the remaining 21 games he played, that number dropped to 39.2%. While Gordon played 68 games, there were seven different patches of the season when he had to miss at least one, so at 35 years old, he was battling through the limitations that came with that.
Overall, Gordon met the contributions of a solid signing on the minimum, but it did not turn out to be a heist of tremendous value that some thought it was last offseason.
» READ MORE: Remaining free agents who could fit the Sixers — including a couple of familiar names
Q: Were you surprised he declined his player option to become a free agent, or did you think there was a chance he would return to get a fresh start in new coach Mike Budenholzer’s system?
A: It was not a surprise, and Gordon was expected to leave, given he was looking at a smaller role this year and was still going to have interest elsewhere at the same price. A career year for Grayson Allen, the midseason acquisition of Royce O’Neale, and expectation for the addition of a point guard wasn’t going to leave many more minutes for Gordon.
Q: What within an offensive system most unlocks Gordon’s shooting, particularly when considering the rest of the Sixers’ roster?
A: Gravity and forcing defenses to shift. Luckily for Sixers fans, Joel Embiid makes all that happen better than anyone in the NBA. And then there’s Tyrese Maxey off the bounce, and that Paul George guy. Gordon isn’t much of a movement shooter at this stage of his career, but what he can provide is extra spacing, thanks to his deep range. Gordon routinely knocks down threes a few feet behind the arc, so he can make defenders rotate even further when helping off toward that trio.
Q: Besides stretching the floor and knocking down those shots, where can Gordon most help a contender at this point of his career?
A: It’s not a huge part of his game anymore, but Gordon will still get downhill a bit and finish on drives through contact. He’s been using that strong frame for many years and has a keen understanding for using physicality to his advantage. Also, he’s not a good defender, but keep an eye out for his active hands defensively. He’s great at reading passes from the help side to either swipe down at a big or rotate out to pick off a swing to the corner.
Q: How would you describe Gordon as a teammate and locker room presence?
A: Gordon is a fairly quiet guy who mostly keeps to himself while being a quality teammate. There was a brief blip in late December during the team’s large struggles when he was probably too forthcoming with Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes about his lack of touches, the type of thing you wouldn’t necessarily expect a veteran to be saying during a down period for the team. Nothing else popped up from there.