Coming into the N.B.A., Aaron Gordon had the kind of accolades that would make any player dream of superstardom.
He was named California’s Mr. Basketball twice in high school, something only Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler could claim before him. He spent one season at the University of Arizona and was named the Pac-12 Conference’s freshman of the year. Then the Orlando Magic drafted him fourth overall in 2014 (his Nuggets teammate Nikola Jokic was the 41st pick).
But Gordon insists that all he wanted that whole time was what he has now.
“Playing in the N.