As strong as Gordon was only the No. 4 show in 2014. Who are the first three players? How to develop after entering the league

In this year's playoffs, Nuggets' starting forward Aaron Gordon shines again. So far, he averages 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 three-pointers per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of 38.2%. Until now, he is undoubtedly the third leader in the Nuggets. On the offensive end, Gordon's shooting has evolved significantly this season. In the absence of space points, his progress in this area is crucial. He and Jokic can also open up space for each other in the frontcourt. On the defensive end, Gordon is one of the strongest players in the Nuggets. He not only can defend multiple positions, but also play in the No. 5 position in the small ball lineup.

In addition, this year's playoffs Gordon also showed his big heart to the outside world, the G4 buzzer-beating dunk against the Clippers, the G1 fast break three-pointer against the Thunder, and the G3 against the Thunder, he also used a three-pointer to help the team tie the big score and drag the game into overtime, and finally successfully completed the reversal. It is worth mentioning that in this game, Gordon scored 4 three-pointers with a shooting rate of 66.7%. With Gordon's help, the Nuggets have undoubtedly taken the lead in the series. They have the chance to win the series points directly when they are still playing at home in the next game.

And it is obvious that Gordon is not the only one who played well in the playoffs this year. When they won the championship in 2023, he performed very well. In the 2023 playoffs, Gordon seemed to average only 13.3 points, 6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, but his performance is still very important in some key games. He has also scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists respectively. At that time, Gordon was mainly engaged in the inside line. His ability to take off and dunk directly in the three-second zone made his opponent dare not double-team Jokic at all. At the same time, Gordon's defensive influence was even better than now. That year, he also defended the best-ranked stars such as Towns, Durant, and James.

And the better Gordon's performance now, the more it proves the wisdom of the Nuggets' management at that time. They only sent out Gary Harris and RJ Hampton, plus one first round to exchange Gordon for the Magic. If Murray and Porter Jr. hadn't encountered serious injuries at that time, the Nuggets might have had to wait until 2023 to succeed. However, even a player like Gordon, who was both offensive and defensive, was still selected until the fourth pick in the first round when he participated in the NBA draft in 2014. So who were the three players in the front line and what development did they have after entering the league? Let’s take a look together next!

3.Joel Embiid (76ers)

Average of 27.7 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks in his career, after Embiid was selected in 2014, he did not officially enter the NBA until the 2016-2017 season due to injury. He made a very amazing performance from the beginning. That year, he averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game in the regular season that year. After Embiid arrived, the Sixers quickly completed the reconstruction, so they returned to the playoffs in 2018.

Later, Embiid played better and better, so he gradually became one of the strongest centers in the league. In the 2022-2023 season, he ushered in a real peak. In the regular season, he averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1 steal and 1.7 blocks per game, and eventually he successfully won the MVP. After winning this award, Embiid is still evolving. He averaged 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in the regular season of the 2023-2024 season. Unfortunately, the injury has once again ruined his season. In the end, he not only failed to defend the MVP, but also failed to perform with injuries in the playoffs. The most important thing is that the injury had a huge impact on Embiid until this season. He only played 19 games in the regular season this year and announced the reimbursement of the season in advance. In the end, the 76ers were also confirmed to miss the playoffs early. Considering that Embiid is 31 years old, the negative impact of this injury on him may be greater than expected in the end. Not only is he likely to return to the peak in the future, it is a problem whether he can maintain normal attendance. After all, for a big center like him, it is difficult to cure a knee injury.

2. Jabarri Parker (Bucks)

Average of 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2 assists,

In his freshman season, Parker averaged 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He also set a rookie record for Duke University, and then he announced that he would participate in the 2014 draft and was successfully selected by the Bucks with the second pick in the first round. Parker was affected by injury in his rookie season and only played 25 games in the regular season, and averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Long, under the training of the Bucks, Parker gradually reached his peak. In the 2016-2017 season, he averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal. Just when people thought he was about to rise, he suddenly suffered a torn ACL, and he has never returned to the peak since then. Later, Parker played for teams such as the Bulls and Wizards, but his condition was always on the decline. By the 2019-2020 season, he had basically become a marginal player in the NBA. That year, he averaged only 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Kings. By the 2021-2022 season, Parker, 26, played only 12 games for the Celtics, and then he ended his NBA career. He has never been on the NBA stage since then..

1. Andrew Wiggins (Cavs)

Average of 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1 steal in his career

After being selected by the Cavaliers, Wiggins was traded to the Timberwolves before he could play the game, and this was not a bad thing for him. Considering the Cavaliers were going to compete for the championship, he naturally didn't get much playing time if he wanted to stay there. On the other hand, at the Timberwolves, Wiggins has become the core of the team since his rookie season, and he also played better and better. In the 2016-2017 season, he averaged 23.6 points, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1 steal.

However, because the Timberwolves' record was delayed and the team decided to reorganize the lineup in the 2019-2020 season, Wiggins was given to the Warriors as a bargaining chip. After a period of precipitation, the Warriors returned to their peak in the 2021-2022 season. Wiggins at this period has changed his playing style compared to the Timberwolves. He has fewer and fewer positions on the court, and he has devoted more energy to defense. This transformation is obviously successful in the Warriors. The team's winning of the 2022 championship has an inseparable relationship with him.

Unfortunately, with the intention of making changes this season, Wiggins became the "sacrifice" of the Warriors again. He was sent to the Heat in the middle of the regular season. It seems that choosing to cut salary and stay with the Warriors that year still failed to get his preferred position from the management, and in the end he failed to realize the Warriors' wish to live for the rest of their lives.