I didn’t watch the dunk contest this year. In fact, I haven’t even seen any of the dunks from it, and I don’t intend to. The easiest way not to get disappointed by something is to not even expose yourself to the thing that will potentially cause disappointment. It’s working great so far. I don’t have to wonder why Aaron Gordon sucked this year in the contest. Instead, I get to wonder why he isn’t dunking it more often in-game this year.
My tentative answer of “because Serge Ibaka is forcing him out of his preferred position” is gaining more and more evidence in its favor. Ibaka is gone now, gone forever to Canada where he can’t steal Gordon’s minutes and production. Gordon only had something like 40 dunks before the All-Star break, less than one per contest, a travesty for a leaper such as he. After the All-Star break, after the minutes-stealer got banished? He’s dunked it 6 times in 2 games. Now we’re talking. And that’s not even counting the near-poster he had on his OWN TEAMMATE tonight.