17-Year Vet Signs with the Sixers

As reported by Shams, Eric Gordon, a 17-year NBA veteran, has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Gordon was the 2016-17 Sixth Man of the Year with the Houston Rockets and was on the 2008-09 All-Rookie team with the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, the six-foot-three shooting guard averaged 11 points, 2 assists, and 1.8 rebounds on 44.3% from the field and 37.8 from beyond the arch. In the playoffs, he averaged an underwhelming eight points on 32.1% from the field. This season wasn’t what the Suns expected when signing him, so this is a “prove it” deal for the veteran. 

Gordon has played a pretty big role on all five teams he’s played on so far. Even though he has never won a championship or played in an all-star game, he is consistently a sought-after player in the free-agent market. In his career, Gordon is averaging 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 43% from the field. He brings very solid three-point shooting, having a 37.1% shooting percentage from deep during his career on 6.2 attempts for his career.

It is likely that Gordon’s time as an everyday starter is over. However, having a player who can come off the bench or start when needed and shoot the three-ball the way he can could be a very important piece for this team. He also has a good amount of playoff experience in his career, playing 64 playoff games and averaging 15.2 points in those games. Similarly, and maybe most important for this team, he can bring a sense of leadership to some of the younger guys on the roster. He’s seen it all in his nearly 20-year career. Overall, this is a good, sneaky pickup for the Sixers.