Aaron Gordon was the standout player of the Orlando Summer League a couple weeks back, averaging 21.7 points and 11.7 rebounds a game (both tops in the entire league). He also shot 50 percent from three.
However, his summer workouts have been put on hiatus for a few weeks after surgery to repair a fractured jaw, the team announced Friday. He is expected to be back and ready to play by the start of the NBA season, although no official timetable was announced.
How did it happen? From the official release:
Gordon, 19 and the second-youngest player in the NBA this past NBA season, was injured while visiting with family and horsing around with older brother, Drew. The native of San Jose, Calif. underwent surgery in California earlier this week.
Drew played part of last season with Philadephia.
Gordon is part of a promising young core that could make the Magic a team on the rise in the East next season. They have Elfrid Payton at the point, Victor Oladipo at the two, Tobias Harris at the three, Gordon at the four, and Nikola Vucevic at center, with guys like Channing Frye and Mario Hezonja off the bench. If Gordon can make the leap in the fall that he showed in the summer — and if he can stay healthy when around his family — he will be a big part of that future.