Malik was a floor general who controlled the game with his defense, vision, and decision-making. He set the tone defensively, applying pressure on and off the ball while creating deflections and disrupting the offense. Offensively, he played unselfishly and consistently made the right reads, breaking down the defense and creating easy looks for teammates. Malik excelled at getting into the paint and collapsing the defense, leading to a high number of assists through the whole postseason. Never forced up shots but stepped up when needed, consistently knocking down big shots in late-game situations. His all-around impact made him one of the most valuable players on the floor, leading to a Lackey 2A State Championship and MVP.

-Gordon proved that he can do a little bit of everything for the SMAC champion Lackey Chargers this season. Gordon can facilitate, get to the rim, showed off his speed, but also hit shots both off the catch and off the bounce. Whether it was in transition or in the halfcourt, our scouts liked his feel to duck under hard closeouts to get to midrange pull-ups or hit a teammate in the post to relocate for an open perimeter jumper. The shooting mechanics looked fluid coming off of sharp angles on pindowns or curls and he became much more comfortable knocking down stepback looks from either side of the floor.

Malik has put together one of the most impressive all-around seasons of any guard in the area and consistently he impacts winning. He plays with strength and speed, finishes through contact, and stays aggressive. Gordon has also shown real growth as a playmaker, mixing in timely passing and finding teammates when defenses collapse. Defensively he’s been a tone-setter by creating steals, pushing tempo, and rebounding through traffic like. Malik’s season so far has been about completion in multiple areas, and he’s making a strong case as one of the most underrated guards in the DMV.

Malik may have been the player of the day at the HoopBuzz Invitational. He was the do-it-all star of the event, flying all around the floor finishing tough layups, stealing the rock and igniting fastbreaks, or sealing off the defensive possession with a strong board through traffic. I liked the way the Malik mixed the scoring with the playmaking ability. The way he dashed through the lane and hit his open targets at he perfect times was essential to Lackey blowing open their lead and finishing their rival off. Malik was just too strong and too fast for the defenders to throw him off his drives to the cup. Malik showed true poise and leadership this game, not getting caught up in the emotions of the crowd or on the floor and let his game do the talking. Dominant showing from the underrated Charles County star.

Malik Gordon is a complete lead guard who excels as both a scorer and facilitator. Malik has a terrific handle and does a great job creating his shot. Malik is a good athlete and does well attacking the rim. He has a good IQ and makes the right pass a lot of the time. Malik is one of this team’s best players and has gotten off to a nice start this AAU season.