Denver Nuggets: 3 goals for Aaron Gordon in 2022-23

It’s no secret that the Denver Nuggets carry one of the deadliest rotations in basketball. Nikola Jokic is coming off his second consecutive league MVP and best statistical campaign to date. Michael Porter Jr. has already proven to be one of the best triple-threat scorers in the NBA, and Jamal Murray was posting career-highs in points (21.2), assists (4.8), steals (1.3), field goal percentage (48), and three-point percentage (41) when we last saw him play in full capacity.

Although, with such a lethal big three and the recent emergence of VCU product Bones Hyland, it can be easy to forget about the importance of Aaron Gordon. Who isn’t just the fifth highest-paid player on the Denver Nuggets roster but also one integral to the franchise’s championship aspirations.

When MPJ was shut down just nine games into the 2021-22 NBA season, it was unknown who would step in to make up for such a significant loss. While Hyland showed flashes of offensive brilliance, it was Aaron Gordon who ended as the team’s second-leading scorer (15.0) and most impactful defender.

Gordon found himself thrust into a situation where he was relied on to be the team’s No. 2 scoring option behind Jokic, a role he’s not exactly accustomed to. What was most impressive, however, was how he handled a high-volume scoring load and combined it with a team-leading defense. Posting a career-high true shooting percentage (60.2) and effective field goal percentage (57.3).

Despite finishing the year as the team’s second-leading scorer, second-leading rebound-getter, and most reliable on-ball defender, it’s the names mentioned above that appear to be getting all of the media attention.

Nevertheless, with every new NBA season comes a new set of expectations for the Denver Nuggets, as well as Aaron Gordon. Taking this into account, here are some individual goals Gordon should strive to achieve this season.

Goal for Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon: Improve to 35% 3PT shooter

With the return of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, it’s clear that the Denver Nuggets won’t be relying on Gordon’s scoring ability as much in 2022-23. Both Murray and MPJ are capable of averaging (at least) 20 points a night, and this is likely the expectation now that the team has entered a championship-or-bust window.

That being said, Gordon’s impact won’t just come down to what he’s able to do defensively but also how efficient he is with his opportunities on offense.

With the best passing center in NBA history primarily working out of the post, the floor will open up even more for Gordon as Murray and Porter look to re-establish themselves within the rotation. Maybe he can pick up some tips from rookie Peyton Watson too.

What makes the Denver Nuggets so difficult to defend is how they’re able to set up Nikola Jokic for quick flashes and seals within the flow of the offense, as opposed to just dumping the ball into the post and letting their All-NBA center go to work. Allowing Jokic to bully defenders to get to just about anywhere on the court.

Attempting to slow down and prevent Jokic from dominating the paint only opens up the court for everyone else, as defenders are forced to slide over and commit more players to one side of the floor. Leaving the defense vulnerable to the Joker’s most identifiable trait, his passing.

Standing tall at 7’0″, Jokic is able to see the entire floor and get the ball to every single spot on offense. While his ability to sneak dimes into even the smallest of windows at lightning-quick speed already complements Gordon’s athletic and acrobatic finishes at the rim, it also creates more scoring opportunities from the perimeter as well.

Obviously, Murray, Porter, and Hyland will handle most of the perimeter scoring on a nightly basis, but this team could be unbeatable if Gordon can improve in this area as well.

While he’s only a career 33 percent three-point shooter, averaging just over three attempts per game. It was just two years ago when he was shooting better than 37 percent from deep on 4.5 attempts per game, even if those numbers dropped down after joining the Nuggets via trade.

If Gordon can remain active on the glass and on defense while also looking to improve as a three-point shooter, Jokic will be completely surrounded by elite shooting, which will only improve the chances of outpacing other high-scoring teams like Milwaukee, Phoenix, Memphis, and Minnesota.

Goal for Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon: First or Second Team All-Defense

Despite finishing second on the team in scoring last season with 15 points per game, it’s Aaron Gordon’s defense that’s garnered all of the attention.

In Gordon’s first full season in Denver, he was constantly left with the task of guarding the opposing team’s top perimeter option regardless of size. The issue was that this often led to various mismatches with Gordon having to defend quicker and more agile guards like Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox, and Donovan Mitchell.

Now, however, the Denver Nuggets have re-upped on the defensive side of the ball by bringing in guys like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown. Both of whom will be primarily responsible for shutting down the top perimeter option on the other side of the court, taking pressure off Gordon to fill this role.

Gordon might not wreak havoc or make a ton of flashy plays on defense, but he’s absolutely vital to the success of the team because of how valuable he is as a switchable defender.

He has a rock-solid build with elite strength and lateral movement that allows him to guard multiple positions, specifically in and around the rim. However, with the recent additions of KCP and Brown, not to mention the fiery Christian Braun, Denver can unlock Aaron Gordon’s true potential as a help defender near the paint.

Nikola Jokic offers tons of size and length on defense, which along with his positioning and quick hands allows him to disrupt a solid number of plays. Although, he’s still somewhat of a liability in space due to his athletic deficiencies and offers little to no value in contesting shots at the rim as a result.

This is why Aaron Gordon is such an integral part of this team.

With Caldwell-Pope and Brown now on the roster, Gordon can allocate more of his energy to helping Jokic defend the paint, which won’t just improve Denver’s ability to shut down opposing offenses but also Gordon’s chances of clinching a spot on his first-ever NBA All-Defensive Team.

Throughout his professional career, Aaron Gordon is averaging just 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, which won’t be enough for him to land on either team. That being said, he should see more of an opportunity to improve this season given his new role on defense.

If Gordon can take advantage of being the team’s go-to interior defender and consistently average at least one block per game, he could easily find himself on one of the NBA’s two All-Defensive teams. After all, Draymond Green made the All-Defensive Second Team last season averaging just over one steal and one block per game.

Goal for Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon: 15+ Points Per Game

It’s easy to imagine a world where Aaron Gordon receives fewer scoring opportunities this year than he has in the past with the return of both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. That being said, the Denver Nuggets also parted ways with Monte Morris and Will Barton, their third and fourth leading scorers from a year ago. So, there’s certainly an opportunity for Gordon to still get his on the offensive end.

The Denver Nuggets’ offense is built entirely around effective ball movement, quick cuts, and screens, which allows Jokic to spread the ball around and create open looks for others. The player who’s arguably benefited the most from this style of play is Michael Porter Jr., whose stock only continues to rise by the day as one of the best pure shooters in the NBA.

Outside of his poor showing against Phoenix, shooting just 2-of-11 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range in 22 minutes of action. MPJ has had a pretty strong preseason, averaging over 14 points per game with .500/.481/.833 shooting splits. However, this doesn’t mean that he won’t have an off-game or two on occasion, especially given his recent injury history.

Aaron Gordon may not be the greatest shooter or floor spacer, but he’s still an extremely athletic finisher. And with Jokic pulling out opposing rim protectors to the perimeter with his savvy playstyle, that leaves the middle of the floor open for Gordon to eat.

Outside of acrobatic finishes like these, he’s also sneaky good in the post and understands how to take advantage of his size and physical traits with deep seals and quick finishes. Not to mention the deadly pick-and-roll game between him and Jokic, leaving defenders at a severe disadvantage.

While I do believe that it’s possible we see Gordon improve this season as a perimeter-scoring option, it’s no secret that the majority of his points will come within five feet of the basket. The good news is that with Jokic and Murray’s ability as playmakers and MPJ opening up the floor with his efficient shooting, Gordon should still see plenty of opportunities to maintain his points-per-game average.

The four highest-scoring teams last season were the Minnesota Timberwolves (115.94), Memphis Grizzlies (115.61), Milwaukee Bucks (115.49), and Charlotte Hornets (115.33). While the Nuggets weren’t too far off averaging over 112 points per game as a team, all without MPJ and Murray mind you. Having Gordon maintain his scoring output of 15 points per game is certainly a good (and realistic) goal to have.

Each of the four aforementioned teams had four players averaging at least 15 points per game and they all made the playoffs as well, with the exception of Charlotte. Not only that but the NBA champion Golden State Warriors also had at least four players averaging 15 or more points a game (Curry, Thompson, Poole, and Wiggins).

What this tells me is that, unless you have a top-rated defense like Boston did last year, you need to have at least four players that can get you 15 points a night on average. Jokic, Porter, and Murray all feel like locks to hit this number, but Gordon feels like the final piece of the puzzle.