The big question coming into the playoffs for the Denver Nuggets was who was going to show up and help Nikola Jokic? And really, this has been the question long before the playoffs started, and was only made more urgent with the way the regular season played out.
By the time the playoffs rolled around, this burning question could not have been louder. Jokic was at the top of his game, playing excellent basketball down the stretch of the season and making a strong case to win his fourth MVP Award, but everything else around him seemed completely unstable and unreliable.
Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were both dealing with injuries, Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook, and Christian Braun were inconsistent and unreliable, the bench beyond that was a total wild-card, and the head coach David Adelman had been promoted to that position for the first time in his career with just three games remaining in the regular season.
Aaron Gordon looking like the third star the Nuggets need
But the first round of the playoffs was full of pleasant surprises for the Nuggets, with perhaps none being better than Aaron Gordon. Gordon struggled with a calf injury all season long and has said it would bother him all season. There was no telling what the team would get from him, but he was incredible.
Gordon played his best basketball of the season when needed most, coming alive on the offensive end while playing lockdown defense as well. His matchup created trouble for the Clippers all series, as the Clippers have nobody who can match his combination of size, strength, quickness, and athleticism.
His ability to be a legitimate secondary option for Denver outside of the Murray-Jokic two-man game was a difference-maker and elevated the team’s floor and ceiling. And that may not even have been the highlight, as his defense on Kawhi Leonard was excellent.
Gordon saved his best for Game 7
While the lasting moment of this series will undoubtedly be Gordon’s buzzer-beating alley-oop to win Game 4, he was arguably the best player on the floor in Game 7. He led the Nuggets with 22 points on 9/16 shooting, with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, along with 1 steal and 1 block. He led from the start of the game with his defense on Leonard as well, who finished the game with just 6 made field goals and was a team-worst -33.
With Jamal Murray looking rusty but healthy in round one, the Nuggets’ top two players appear to be primed and ready to go for round two. If Gordon can continue rising to this level, that starts to make Denver a very dangerous team. His ability to rise to the occasion and bring his best in big games can also be a huge factor against a relatively young and inexperienced Thunder squad.
It’s going to be a very challenging series, but Gordon should enjoy a lot of the same advantages and mismatches that he saw against the Clippers. If he can continue to exploit that, then the Nuggets have a real shot at pulling off the massive upset.