Aaron Gordon Is Ready for Stardom. The Magic Remain a Question Mark.

Aaron Gordon sat slouched in front of his locker, immobile as ice packs worked on his body following yet another loss earlier this season. His Orlando Magic teammates showered and dressed, and left.

Gordon’s back had been bothering him, and no wonder: He’s in his fifth year of carrying the Magic franchise. And he is in for the long haul, too. After doing what he described as “due diligence” this past summer, Gordon signed a four-year, $80 million contract, handing over most of his mid-20s to a team that, so far, has failed to put a winning combination around him.

But if the 6-foot-9 multidimensional star is still waiting for a winning supporting cast, his 2018-19 season is the latest, best evidence yet that he is approaching a specific kind of broad-based play that is fast becoming a requirement for surviving in the N.B.A.

Gordon showed it off days ago in a 103-96 win over the Golden State Warriors.

He did it all, scoring 22 points, pulling down 15 rebounds and using his defensive athleticism to help limit the Warriors to 9-for-40 shooting from 3-point range. By the end of last week, the surging Magic had found themselves in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and in new territory for Gordon: the playoff race.