CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers brought back 17-year veteran Eric Gordon on a 1-year deal in free agency after the shooting guard was limited to only 39 games due to a bothersome wrist injury.
In his first season in Philadelphia, Gordon had his ups and downs, but he did what he does best which is fire up an assortment of 3s, knock them down at a high rate, and play some solid perimeter defense. He shot 40.9% from deep in the 2024-25 season and one has to wonder if he will factor in at all in terms of coach Nick Nurse’s rotation.
“Listen, I think Eric, first of all, he had the hand surgery, and he’s come out of that completely fine,” Nurse said on Thursday. “I’ve asked him about a number of times, and he just says there’s absolutely no issues with it. So there’s a good thing. I do think he came back, also a little leaner, and that, I think, is a positive for him.”
Gordon had a ridiculous month of January as he shot 52.6% from deep for the month. As the Sixers head into the final two preseason games–beginning on Friday against the Orlando Magic–one has to believe Nurse will give him a look and prepare him for the upcoming season. He won’t be just a mentor to the youngsters. He will play a role on the floor as well.
“I think he’s a veteran player that’s going to need some training camp and some time to go out there and play again,” Nurse continued. “I think it’s a situation of, I’m planning on using him tomorrow, but I wouldn’t know if that’s 100% probably till we get through shootaround, and if he’s gonna go ahead and play, and if he’s available, we’re gonna get him, get him as a couple of stints. 10, 12, 15, 16 minutes out there. Just to kind of keep building him up and getting him ready.”
Besides his shooting, an important aspect Gordon brings to the floor is his defensive ability. He’s a stocky guard with a strong base so he can stay in front of taller, bigger scorers, and really give them some trouble at times as he showed in the 39 games he played in 2024-25. If he is fully healthy, then Gordon can be a hugely positive player for the Sixers.
“I think it might even have been some big 4s,” Nurse finished. “He was guarding some bigger guys. So I think couple things, one, he’s actually good at it. Physically, they don’t move him around much. Even if they’re taller, he can hold them off the block and he can block them out and things like that. So that’s one thing. And two, I think that we could be in some small lineup situations that would lend itself to that. If that need be.”
The Sixers will face the Magic at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday for the third of four preseason games.