When you see Aaron Gordon take off from the free-throw line, everything comes into focus. The athleticism. The air time. The body. The explosiveness.

You can envision him taking the next step toward greatness.  

That step seemed to be taking place during the gripping 2016 Slam Dunk Contest in Toronto where Gordon put on a performance that made you believe that it was going to be his coming out party. But that jump hasn’t quite reached the levels that his dunks hit that night.

As a collective group of NBA onlookers, we have a tendency to build up young players and break them down before they ever have a real shot at reaching their potential. The flashes they show imprint into our memory as sustainable success, rather than demonstrations of moments that will periodically show up over time. For every “Giannis Leap,” more players are incrementally improving, getting better by the margins in the meantime.

Checking on the timelines of players is a great way to peg their progress. Forgotten in the mess of Gordon’s situation is that he just turned 22, making him younger than Kristaps Porzingis, Buddy Hield and Mario Hezonja, among many others. The youth is a reminder that much of his story is yet unwritten, but it’ll take an organization intent on overhauling old-school practices to fully unleash his potential.

The “raw” label associated with Gordon has carried on since he was drafted in 2014

The Magic knew when they drafted Gordon that they were taking on an athletic marvel who lacked the polish to make an immediate impact. His gifts were treasured, but converting him into a high-usage offensive force was going to take some time. Gordon’s skill set relied on crashing the glass, getting out in transition and hounding opposing wings. But Gordon’s positional uncertainty has stifled development throughout his NBA tenure, and because of a confluence of factors, his wrongful shoehorning at the 3 has exacerbated some of his faults during his first few seasons.

Last year was the defining moment of that tug-of-war. Head coach Frank Vogel compared Gordon to Paul George, per ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe, then went on to say he would try to put the ball in his hands more. That line of thinking seemed to conflict with the size and explosiveness of a player who could be a dominant roll-man To a (much) lesser degree, it was like putting a young Blake Griffin on the wing and asking him to initiate offensive sets.

Expanding a player’s repertoire at such a young age can bring about some positives. Zach LaVine’s play at point guard during the 2015-16 season helped his handle, allowing him to become a secondary ball-handler on the floor. But it was always misguided to have Gordon go through this experiment, considering he hasn’t mastered any part of his game yet. The developmental process seemed to want him to run before he even had a real chance at walking.

But roster construction and common sense eventually gave way, with Gordon slotting back into the power forward position more than halfway through the 2016-17 campaign. The Orlando Magic shipped Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors, and Gordon suddenly found himself as a more permanent fixture at the 4. The results were immediate, showing off the natural skill that made him perfect for that spot.

When moving down a slot, Gordon was able to get looks closer to the basket. Up until the All-Star break, he was only able to take 32.2 percent of his shots at the rim; after the positional change, he jacked that number up to 48.4 percent over the final 24 games of the season. Getting closer to the rim is important for any player, but especially someone like him who has above-average efficiency on those close looks.

Considering Gordon’s shot isn’t his strong suit, he’ll be forced to rely on pounding the ball into the restricted area until his game expands a bit. That’s something Gordon specifically mentioned he’s been working on this offseason in order to improve. Bumping up his attempts from three while ticking closer to average would be a huge boon to the Magic’s offense.  

He could easily get to that level by simply cutting out the unnecessary pull-up shots. Of his looks from deep, 24 percent were of the pull-up variety. That may not sound like a lot, but for a shooter like Gordon who struggles to maintain consistency, it’s just nonsensical to even consider taking them. Shooting 23.5 percent on those attempts bogged down his overall efficiency, which could take a leap forward with more confidence and better selection.

Gordon’s range-based shortcomings are widely known, but one area where his reputation isn’t meeting his efficiency is in transition. For all the highlights you see of him racing down the court with ease and flushing down another dunk, there are other instances of him settling for a jump shot. He was in the 37th percentile for points per transition possession last year and got marginally worse in value added, per NBA Math’s Play-Type Profiles, from his contributions during the 2015-16 campaign. Continuing to flash through the paint aggressively on these opportunities should beef up his efficiency.

Pushing Gordon to power forward continues to emphasize his incredible athletic gifts. Defensively, he should grow into a monster best suited for shutting down larger wings, and his size allows him to bang with bigger bodies down in the post.

Due to the previous overabundance of forwards and centers on the Orlando roster, Gordon was forced out to the perimeter more often than not. He still may have to take on speedier players at times, thanks to the shortage of wings on the team, but Vogel will ideally be able to line him up in more comfortable situations against slower players.

It’ll be interesting to see if Gordon will have more chances at protecting the rim this season. Nikola Vucevic is a sieve around the basket, so Vogel may have to get creative in utilizing his pogo-stick on that end. His 7’0″ wingspan and jaw-dropping vertical should afford some more opportunities for him to make an impact at the hoop when Bismack Biyombo isn’t on the floor.

It’s clear the dip in Gordon’s rebounding was due to him playing further away from the basket, so his rebounding percentage should jump back to its 2015-16 spot. If he can help clean the glass like he’s done in the past, the Magic could potentially become a solid defensive team. The roster has the talent, and the coach has continually pushed out top-10 units, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they could take a giant step forward from their 22nd ranking last year.

The simple changes should be the difference maker for Gordon. Those step-back three-pointers? Get rid of them. Just become a catch-and-shoot forward. Initiating the offense as the primary ball handler? Scrap that and roll hard to the rim.

The Magic need to see if Gordon can become the foundational piece they should build around, or even a complementary player on a winning team. This is a crucial year, not only for Orlando’s long-term outlook, but also for Gordon’s wallet, as he’ll become a restricted free-agent this summer. Remembering to keep it simple is the best way to showcase Gordon’s flashes on a more consistent basis and help all involved parties.

Now, the team will have to commit to the strategy.

Follow Thomas on Twitter @Trende19.

Follow NBA Math on Twitter @NBA_Math and on Facebook.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from NBA Math, Basketball Reference or NBA.com.