Eric Gordon’s 2018-19 season didn’t start out so well.
In October, after a 1-5 start was causing commotion around the league about if the Houston Rockets had fallen off so badly since making the Western Conference Finals just months prior, Gordon was shooting a very low 30.6 % from the field and 23.4 % from three.
Many were chatting about how Gordon’s dismal play was exacerbating the Rockets’ problems.
He slowly got better in November, but then in December, a right knee contusion caused him to sit seven straight games leading into the new year.
But when he came back in January, Gordon turned a corner, and shot 41 % from the field and 38.1 % from beyond the arc.
Per NBA.com/stats, he hasn’t shot lower than 40 % from the field in 2019.
And in the first-round series against the Utah Jazz, Gordon was phenomenal. Perfect timing.
He averaged 15.2 points per game on 43.9 field-goal percentage, with a staggering 54.5 3PT %. He also had shutdown defense on Donovan Mitchell, who had an atrocious series.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe had nothing but praise for Gordon following the Jazz series:
Gordon is the unheralded ingredient in Houston’s success over the past two seasons. He is more than a 3-point expert, though he shot 49 percent against Utah in a series that became a slog — a battle in which Houston needed every bucket to breathe — after Game 2.
He is playing with both physicality and hunger. Just when you expect Gordon to spot up for another 28-footer, he puts his head down, shoulder-checks some sucker, and burrows to the rim for more of a sure thing. Houston needs more of that during stretches when the 3s stop falling, and the game gets away from them.
Gordon absolutely stonewalled Mitchell on the other end. A great series for an important, underappreciated player.
Gordon doesn’t get enough praise as being an outstanding defensive player. He talked about how he takes “great pride” in playing good defense.
As HoopsHype.com points out, Mitchell was just four-for-33 (12.1 percent) from long range during the 165 minutes he and Gordon were on the court at the same time. However, Mitchell was seven-for-10 (70.0 percent) from beyond the arc when appearing on the floor without Gordon.
There’s always so much hype around James Harden and Chris Paul, and that is understandable and well-deserved. But if either or both of them have an off night, it is good to know Gordon is there to likely carry the team.
