On November 1, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 95-85, giving their opponents four consecutive defeats. In this game, the Rockets played very badly, the whole team had no tactical discipline, and the young players played very badly. However, the Rockets bench is not without masters, and Gordon, who came on as a substitute, maintained a super high standard. He shot four three-pointers, won seven free throws, and scored a team-high 17 points.
In the offseason, the Rockets selected Jaylen Green with the leaderboard in the draft. In the new season, the Rockets focused on creating a backcourt double-gun combination of Porter Jr. + Jaylen Green. The 32-year-old veteran Gordon appeared on the bench as the team's sixth man, supporting the team's two young defenders.
It should be said that Gordon's auxiliary work is very well done. Facing the Lakers, Gordon played 30 minutes, shooting 4-of-10, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and 5-of-7 from the free throw line, scoring a team-high 17 points, 2 boards and 2 assists. You know, the Rockets only shot a total of 6 three-point shots, and Gordon alone accounted for 4.
This season, Gordon's competitive form has remained good. He averaged just 25.4 minutes per game and had 13.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals, shooting 51.1 percent (23 of 45) and 55.6 percent three-point range (15 of 27). That's exactly what the league's top shooters are doing.
Seeing Gordon's fiery state, many Rockets fans are very distressed. Because the current Rockets team is in the reconstruction period, it simply can't give Gordon too many opportunities and too good a stage. A shooter of Gordon's caliber, he was supposed to be part of the league's championship team.
After the Rockets have decided to focus on developing Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green, they may choose to buy out Gordon in the future, or use him to trade several draft picks. After all, Gordon also contributed a lot to the Rockets. Later in his career, the Rockets should give the veteran a chance to chase his dreams. He is the championship puzzle that strong teams dream of.
Currently, Gordon has 3 years left on his contract. Salary is about $18.22 million this season, about $19.57 million next season, and about $20.92 million next season.