Three-point champion and dunk champion, Gordon wants them all!

Who has delivered the wildest three-point performance of the new season so far? The answer is Aaron Gordon, who drained 10 three-pointers against the Warriors, finishing 17 of 21 overall and 10 of 11 from deep, erupting for 50 points, but unfortunately faced a superhuman Curry.

And who has provided the most breathtaking dunk of the season so far? It’s still Aaron Gordon. In today’s game against the Suns, Gordon threw down a 360-degree windmill alley-oop dunk, a slam that would earn perfect marks even in a dunk contest.

Many players in the league can perform this move, but executing it in a live game requires perfect timing, positioning, and synergy. Jokic’s pass was slightly ahead, yet Gordon rotated his body midair toward the basket, delivering a dunk full of power and control.

Interestingly, can you think of the last player who was so wild from three and so impressive at dunks? It was none other than Zach LaVine, Gordon’s opponent in the dunk contest years ago. LaVine once had a legendary game in 2019 where he hit 13 three-pointers in a single match, arguably the peak of his career.

After losing the season opener to the Warriors, the Nuggets easily defeated the Suns at home today. Jokic attempted only one shot in the first half but dished out an incredible 11 assists, delivering a classic Jokic “effortless” game where his passing dismantled the defense and secured the win without much exertion.

Today, only Murray and Brown scored over 20 points for the Nuggets, while Jokic had 14 points. As a popular phrase goes recently, he played with calm ease. Against this backdrop, Gordon played just 25 minutes, scoring 17 points with 2 rebounds and 3 steals, though his three-point shooting dipped to 1 of 6.

But across these two games, Gordon still shot 11 of 17 from three, which is more than impressive—it’s a complete transformation. Last season, Gordon’s three-point percentage was a career-high 43.6%, and his free throw percentage was 81.0%. This season, his three-point shooting appears to be evolving even further.

Gordon’s shooting accuracy underwent a transformation during the 2024 offseason. In his own words: “I really practiced a lot of jump shots these past years, a lot! You can see it gradually maturing!”

After being traded to Denver, Gordon bought an old warehouse locally and converted it into a training facility where he lived and trained throughout the offseason. He wakes up every day to train and even invites teammates for mini training camps. This gym is a dream for many fans, but for Gordon, it marks the progress of his shooting.

For Gordon, shooting is truly something that can be developed through practice. In his first three seasons with the Magic, his three-point percentage never exceeded 30%. As the league emphasized three-point shooting more, he raised it to 34.9%, but never surpassed 35% during his Magic tenure.

Because of his shooting, Gordon went from being a highly anticipated core player for the Magic to a starter who was somewhat mediocre, eventually being traded away for just a first-round pick. In Denver, with less pressure, Gordon found his value as a complementary player alongside Jokic, improving steadily.

Despite playing well, Gordon’s three-point accuracy hadn’t improved much; his career three-point percentage over the first ten years was only 32.8%. Breaking through that decade-long barrier, last season he suddenly had a breakthrough, setting career highs in all shooting stats—a true result of relentless daily effort over the years.

During last season’s series against the Thunder, Gordon returned less than two days after a grade-two hamstring strain, which affected his performance in the decisive Game 7. It’s hard not to wonder how different the outcome might have been if Gordon’s hamstring hadn’t been injured.

After setting a career scoring record in the last game, Gordon refused to keep the game ball. He said: “Someone asked if I wanted to take the game ball home, but I declined. That ball reminds me of the loss. We’ll go back and study the game tape. I trust my teammates and just want to enjoy playing.”

Rather than commemorating failure, Gordon is focused on playing better in the next game. A new version, Gordon 2.0, is coming your way.