In 2021, the Nuggets made a franchise-altering trade with the Orlando Magic to acquire Aaron Gordon. This trade helped shape Denver’s entire decade of NBA relevance and helped them win their franchise’s first NBA championship in 2023. Fast-forward two years, and the Gordon acquisition is still paying dividends as he has solidified himself as a top 10 Nugget of all time.
Gordon has now hit three incredibly crucial shots for Denver this playoff run. His first came in game 4 at the Intuit Dome vs the Los Angeles Clippers with his “Finale Oop” buzzer-beater dunk to win and get the Nuggets back to 2-2 in the series. His second huge make came in game 1 of the 2nd round against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-winning three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left.
That brings us to Friday night, where the Nuggets upset the Thunder yet again, this time in a 113-104 overtime win where Denver controlled crunch time and Gordon hit yet another massive shot. This time, a deep shot from the corner with 27.1 seconds in regulation to tie the game and helped force OT.
Ultimately, Gordon’s stellar playoff run has Denver in the mix for another title, something that seemed unfathomable just one month ago when the Nuggets fired their head coach, Michael Malone, and GM Calvin Booth. Gordon was already the 3rd best player on Denver’s 2023 championship team, but this run has raised his stock with the franchise even more.
Who has Aaron Gordon passed in Nuggets history and who does he trail?
Making NBA player tiers/rankings/pyramids is always extremely subjective and incredibly hard, as what should be valued varies among analysts, players, and fans. With that being said, everyone can at least understand the argument that players who helped a team win a championship, let alone their first championship, should be valued greatly in all-time rankings.
In Gordon’s case, his tenure as a Nugget (4.5 seasons) is shorter than some other franchise all-timers, and his accolades aren’t nearly as prominent as other players, but he was a top-two defensive player and the 3rd/4th best offensive player on a Nuggets title team. With Denver, he has averaged 14.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG, improving greatly in his Denver tenure as well.
Following the 2023 season, Gordon had already crept into the top-20 Nuggets of all-time. Add in two more seasons of tenure and Gordon’s clutchness and memorable performances this year in the playoffs, and he has officially surpassed Nuggets greats like Antonio McDyess, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, T.R. Dunn, and Marcus Camby. Passing them puts him at 13th all-time.
Then we get into the trickier conversation as Gordon is now in a similar tier as 3x All-ABA wing, Ralph Simpson, 2x All-star and 10-year Nugget Byron Beck, and 2x All-Star Kiki Vandeweghe. While these three players all have more personal accolades over AG, the title and unforgettable playoff moments mean significantly more to Nuggets fans and the franchise as a whole.
Going through the thought experiment, Gordon holds down the 10th spot in all-time Nuggets in franchise history. His next steps would be to pass players like Hall of Famers Bobby Jones and Dikembe Mutombo, as well as Denver fan-favorite Lafayette “Fat” Lever, all of whom will be tough tasks. Still, 10th isn’t a bad feat at all for Mr. Nugget!