Breaking news:Is it a down season or career regression for ………
The Phoenix sharpshooter has beendull when coming in as a reserve.
When the Phoenix Suns acquired Eric Gordon this past offseason via free agency, it was applauded as a game-changing move. Phoenix didn’t have many options in the free agent market, especially considering they could only offer veteran minimum contracts.
Gordon, a 15-year veteran, won Sixth Man of the Year in 2016–17. Over his career, he shot three points at 47.1%. In the 2023 postseason, the squad was sorely lacking a player who could truly contribute off the bench, and he filled that need.
It’s been a strange 2023–24 for the 35-year-old guard. His output has decreased when he is required to play the part of the sixth man. Gordon played 29 minutes on Saturday night in the Boston Celtics’ 117-107 loss. He had 0 points and was 0 of 3 from the field.
Gordon, a 15-year veteran, earned the 2016-17 Sixth Man of the Year Award. He was a career 47.1% three-point shooter. He fulfilled a need the team desperately was void of in the 2023 postseason: someone who could come off of the bench and actually contribute.
The 2023-24 has been an odd one for the 35-year-old guard. His production has waned when he has been asked to execute the sixth-man role. On Saturday night in the 117-107 loss to the Boston Celtics, Gordon played 29 minutes. He was 0-of-3 from the field and 0 points.
What has happened to Eric Gordon?
To be fair, EG is returning from a recent groin injury that cost him three games. This season, he has missed 11 games due to a variety of injuries, ranging from right wrist soreness to knee pain.
In four games since his return, he is averaging 6 points in 26 minutes played. His shooting percentages? 28.1% from the field and 22.2% from three-point range. Yikes? Yikes.
This has been an issue all season for Gordon and is something that we have talked about numerous times. When Eric Gordon is coming off of the bench, he simply hasn’t been good.
As a reserve, Gordon is shooting 31.3% from deep while averaging 9.5 points in 26.5 minutes played. Again, the role he was signed to fulfill is where he has become his weakest.
The question I have is whether or not we’ve seen this from Gordon in the past before coming to Phoenix and simply never noticed.
Prior to this season, EG had appeared in 818 regular season games. He started 628 in his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, and Houston Rockets. Which means he had 190 games as a reserve. For the first 8 seasons of his career, Gordon was primarily a starter. Only 19 times had he come off of the bench.
In 2016-17, Gordon began to come off the bench after joining the Rockets as a free agent to a team that James Harden and Patrick Beverley at the guard positions. He excelled in his role that season, winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award for his 16.2 points for the 55-27 Rockets team.
Using that year as the starting point, I dissected the last 8 seasons (including this year) to see how Eric Gordon has performed as a starter and as a reserve relative to three-point shooting. That is where he has seen the most drop-off this season, as he presently shoots 13.8% less when entering the game as a sub.
What do we find? Some serious regression.
Since 2019-20, Eric Gordon has performed better coming off of the bench as a three-point shooter. Not only that but his shooting percentages entered elite levels, topping out at 46.7% just last season. Yet this season, like Peyton Manning in his final two seasons with the Denver Broncos, he simply isn’t the same.
The reason? We don’t know. Does it take him out of rhythm to warm up, cool down, and then have to execute when Frank Vogel calls his name to put him into the game? I’m not quite sure.
I don’t need to tell you why having a productive Eric Gordon is key if the Suns hope to make a meaningful push through the postseason. But I will. Frank Vogel needs to be confident that when either Devin Booker or Bradley Beal sits, the player replacing them can provide offensive production. Phoenix needs to have the ability to continue the attack while their stars rest. That is why Gordon is here.
Do you start Gordon over Grayson Allen simply because he can’t get it done as a reserve? It is something the team could explore, although I don’t know if it’s the right answer. You don’t lose much on defense, sure, but what Allen is doing as a starter is one of the most valuable aspects of this team.
The only hope we have is that Eric Gordon can find himself. That he can remember that shooting just 3 shots against the Celtics when the team desperately needs offense is not the way.
He’s done it before, just not in a Suns uniform.
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