The Sixers haven’t had a sharpshooter quite like Eric Gordon in the Joel Embiid era.
Throughout the past decade, certain player archetypes have tended to thrive alongside Joel Embiid. One of those has been long-range sharpshooters.
That’s what makes the Sixers’ offseason addition of Eric Gordon so intriguing. He’s fallen somewhat under the radar thanks to the Sixers’ other summer splashes, but he could wind up playing a critical role as an X-factor off the bench during the 2024-25 season.
Gordon, who spent years with team president Daryl Morey in Houston during the late 2010s, has been one of the NBA’s preeminent gunners in recent years. Since he arrived in Houston in 2016, Gordon ranks 14th leaguewide in both made three-pointers (1,251) and three-point attempts (3,436). Fellow Sixers Paul George and Kyle Lowry also rank in the top 20 leaguewide in both categories over that span. (It’s almost like surrounding Embiid with shooters is a good idea!)
Gordon’s long-range efficiency plummeted across injury-shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, but he bounced back over the last three seasons to shoot 38.5 percent on 5.4 three-point attempts per game. Alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in Phoenix last year, he averaged 2.2 triples in 27.8 minutes per game while shooting 37.8 percent from deep.
Gordon isn’t just a toe-on-the-line shooter, though. He routinely pulls up from a few feet beyond the arc, which helps suck defenders out further and provides better floor spacing for his teammates.
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Gordon has knocked down 691 three-pointers that were at least 26 feet away from the basket. That ranks fourth leaguewide over that span, trailing only Stephen Curry (1,200), Damian Lillard (1,077) and James Harden (899). He’s also fourth in threes from 28-plus feet (226) and eighth from 30-plus feet (46).
Gordon knows that’s the primary value he brings to the Sixers this year.
“My role is to fill those voids—scoring, opening up the floor, things that I’ve always done for a long time,” he said at media day.
The Sixers have cycled through plenty of three-point bombers throughout the Embiid era, from JJ Redick and Seth Curry to Buddy Hield last season. Dribble hand-offs between Embiid and those sharpshooters were particularly potent weapons for the Sixers over the years. Gordon should be able to replicate that with Embiid, but he’s also far more comfortable off the dribble than Redick ever was.
Throughout his 15-year NBA career, Redick was assisted on nearly 92 percent of his three-pointers and almost three-quarters of his two-pointers. Gordon is at 85.1 percent and 43.4 percent, respectively. The Sixers have enough ball-handlers between Lowry, Tyrese Maxey and Reggie Jackson that Gordon shouldn’t have to frequently create off the dribble for himself, but that’s a useful skill to have in a pinch, particularly once the playoffs roll around.
The Sixers shouldn’t have to lean on the 35-year-old Gordon as a primary scorer this year. Embiid, Maxey and George will be their offensive focal points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin will serve as complementary options in the starting unit. But Gordon could be their biggest scoring threat off the bench particularly from deep. His long-range shooting ability should also earn him plenty of minutes alongside Embiid whenever all five starters aren’t on the floor.
Given his age and the Sixers’ depth, Gordon isn’t likely to force his way into the Sixth Man of the Year conversation. He played a career-low 27.8 minutes per game with the Suns last season, and he might play even fewer this year in Philly. But his experience playing alongside superstars like Durant, Booker and Harden should help ease his acclimation to the Sixers.
“For me as a veteran, it’s easier to navigate your role and who you are on the team,” Gordon said at media day. “As long as I’m able to be myself on the team, everything kind of works out. And I’ve been on pretty good teams the last few years, so it does make it easier with your role, figuring it out and navigating what you can do best out there to help the team.”
Between George, Maxey and Gordon, the Sixers now have three elite floor-spacers to pair with Embiid. Gordon’s ability to shoot from 28-plus feet could stretch defenses beyond their breaking point, particularly when he plays with the Sixers’ new Big Three. Embiid often commands extra defensive attention whenever he’s in the paint, but opponents can’t risk sagging off Gordon even if he’s a few feet behind the three-point line.
If Gordon can stay healthy—which is no sure thing given his injury history and age—his gravitational pull could make him the X-factor for this year’s Sixers.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Salary Swish and salary-cap information via RealGM.