Ben Gordon enters his 11th season joining his fourth NBA team. The newly-signed Gordon averaged 5.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 15 minutes per game through 19 games last season. He shot 34 percent from the field on 5.7 attempts and 81 percent from the line on 1.1 attempts. The former Sixth Man of the Year compiled career-lows across the board, both in averages and totals. Plenty of former Bobcats have resurrected their careers post-exile (Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler, and Shaun Livingston most notably), but Gordon will have to contend with other new editions Willie Green, Roy Marble, Luke Ridnour, and Evan Fournier for backcourt minutes. As recently as two seasons ago, Gordon shot 39 percent from deep and 51 percent on corner three-pointers (second to Stephen Curry for players with at least 50 attempts). Gordon boasts a prolific scoring resume, carrying with him a career 40-percent mark from beyond the arc, but at 31 years old, his best years are likely in the rear view mirror.
Gordon is likely to lose minutes to younger, more athletic and motivated Bobcats' guards. He had an inconsistent season last year and seemingly only made headlines when he was involved in something negative, such as him getting into altercations with ex-coach Mike Dunlap.
Gordon was obtained during the offseason for a future No. 1 draft pick and Corey Maggette. He is still a very good player, but both his minutes and scoring have been on the decline in the past few years. He should come off the bench for the Bobcats while still getting close to 30 minutes per game. He will help the Bobcats spread their offense and drastically improve their three-point shooting, as he averaged just below 43 percent from beyond the arc last season.
ike Villanueva, Gordon has struggled since inking a free agent deal with the Pistons. The 28-year-old averaged a career-low 11.2 points last season while playing just 26 mpg. Despite the drop in production, Gordon has remained an effective scorer, shooting 44.0 percent from the floor, 40.2 percent from downtown and 85.0 percent from the free throw line. With Richard Hamilton now playing for the Bulls, Gordon is primed to see a significant boost in playing time, paving the way for a bounce-back campaign from the sharp-shooting guard.
Although, in most fantasy formats, a player's defensive ability doesn't matter – that is, outside of steal and blocks – that's not to say that defense is entirely beside the point, either. Case in point, Ben Gordon. For most of his time in the league Gordon has been on the cusp of fantasy stardom, recording considerably above-average per-game numbers in points, threes and free-throw shooting (more by virtue of his excellent percentages than the quantity of attempts). Only problem is, Gordon is a shooting guard in a point guard's body, a fact that has always left him positionless and his minutes on the wrong side of 35 per game. That changed in 2008-09, when the (relatively) diminutive sharp-shooter averaged 36.6 minutes per contest, and made himself a top-40 player. Last year, however, after signing with Detroit, everything regressed: fewer minutes (just 27.9 per game), fewer points and a considerably poorer three-point percentage (just 32.1, his first year under 40). Unless he climbs north of the 30-minute mark, his upside will continue to be limited.
The Pistons broke the bank on Gordon, signing him to a five-year, $55 million contract this offseason. He’ll be the focal point of their re-tooled offense and should be a safe bet for points and threes, but keep in mind he’ll still be coming off the bench behind Richard Hamilton. There is some upside to be had here, but it is unlikely that we’ll see significant improvements beyond his averages from last season. Gordon is a ‘what you see what you get’ type player who is great at what he does – a spark plug off the bench who can score in bunches. He may make some minor strides in his rebounding, and could boost his assists a bit as he’ll get some run at the point, but it shouldn’t have a major impact on his per-game value. Gordon has been extremely durable during his five-year career, averaging nearly 80 games played per season and playing at least 80 games in four of those five years. He also doesn’t bring a lot of the negatives that traditional gunners do, shooting a respectable 45.5 percent from the field on 16 attempts while turning the ball over only 2.4 times per game. It’s a luxury to draft a player who can give your fantasy team big boosts in points and treys without having to give up a lot of ground in the three efficiency categories.
Gordon is a wild card right now, as he’s locked in a contract dispute with the Bulls that could potentially see him signing with a team in Moscow. Gordon is pretty well established as one of the better shooter/scorers in the NBA, averaging about 20 points, three assists, two 3-pointers and a steal over the past two seasons. Unfortunately, at only 6-2 Gordon lacks the size to start full time at shooting guard, and the Bulls now have a crowded backcourt with Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, and number one overall rookie Derrick Rose. Even if Gordon does stay in Chicago, there’s no guarantee that he’ll get the minutes to contribute at a high level.
Gordon’s production improved in his third season, with new career-highs in scoring (21.4), assists (3.6), rebounds (3.1), field-goal percentage (45.5) and free-throw percentage (86.4). But even that performance wasn’t enough to win him a full-time starting gig – Gordon came off the bench in 31 of 82 contests. One has to wonder if Gordon would be better off on another team – at just 6-2, he’s undersized for a shooting guard, and that makes him a liability in defense-first coach Scott Skiles’ eyes – to an outside observer, it feels as if Skiles plays Gordon only because the Bulls have very few real scorers on the roster. That situation isn’t likely to change this season, as Chicago’s offseason additions are either role-players (like Joe Smith) or more defensive-minded athletes (like Joakim Noah); someone has to put the ball in the basket. If you subscribe to the “contract year” theory, bear in mind that Gordon is up for a new deal after this season.
Gordon made an important transition last season, finally breaking into the Bulls starting line-up. Concerns about size (6-2, 200 lbs.) and stamina had prevented Gordon from starting at shooting guard as a rookie, but with teammate Kirk Hinrich often guarding opposing shooting guards, Gordon was able to produce on offense and avoid exploitation on defense. In the 47 games that Gordon started, he improved his totals to 18.9 ppg and 2.2 threes per game while shooting 44% from the field (and the three-point line), 82% from the free-throw line, dishing 3.3 assists, and grabbing 3.0 rebounds in 33.7 minutes. These are strong stats for a second-year player just earning the starter’s spot, and these numbers could easily improve further in his third year if he can receive full-time starter’s minutes. Gordon will not contribute too much to the defensive categories, though he is good for almost a steal per game.
Gordon is coming off a Sixth Man of the Year rookie season and will attempt to expand his role and maintain a more consistent level of production in his sophomore campaign. Gordon is the proverbial shooting guard in a point guard’s body, which led him to an instant offense role off the bench as a rookie. His outstanding athletic ability and array of offensive skills (deep shooting range, quick first step, high-arcing teardrop runner in the lane) allowed him to average 15.1 points in only 24.4 minutes per game last season. Question marks about his stamina as well as his ability to guard the taller, bigger shooting guards of the NBA kept his minutes low last season and may prevent him from becoming a 35-40 minute per game player this season as well. But he should still be able to score in bunches while hitting the trey (1.6 per game as a rookie) and draining shots from the line (86%, though only 3.3 attempts per game). Playing about 32 minutes per night should lead to an increase in his numbers almost across the board, but it is doubtful that he is ready to be a strong contributor in any but the scoring and 3-point categories as yet.
The trade of high-scoring combo guard Jamal Crawford to the Knicks opened a starting slot beside Kirk Hinrich in Chicago's backcourt for Gordon, who is likely to be the scoring leader of the rookie class. Also a combo guard, Gordon may be best used in the pros at the two, given his impressive shooting and one-on-one abilities, but he'll have to eliminate lapses of focus to earn big playing time from tough coach Scott Skiles. He'll be the team's second offensive option, behind Eddy Curry, and likely dish out four or five assists per game.
Is a great scorer with a sweet touch from beyond the arc. Good strength for his position. NBA scouts arent sure exactly where to play him. Reminds most people of Chauncey Billups.
