One of the bigger question marks for the Denver Nuggets this offseason was the health of Aaron Gordon. He relayed early on that he was "ready to go," and he has definitely looked the part in the Nuggets' first three preseason games. To be honest, he's probably the biggest bright spot on the Nuggets so far, and if these performances are a precursor to the regular season, Gordon could be in line for the best season he's had as a Nugget.
Gordon has been red hot to start the preseason, and it was no different in the Nuggets' 133-128 victory at Ball Arena over the Chicago Bulls. Gordon continued his scorching hot shooting start by going 9-for-12 from the floor, including making 3 of his 4 three-point attempts on his way to 25 points over 23 minutes.
Gordon is shooting 72.2% from the floor in the first three preseason games, and he's a scorching 62.5% from beyond the arc. That number won't hold, but it's highly encouraging to see Gordon emerge as a legitimate spot-up three-point shooter, giving the Nuggets' offense another weapon.
Gordon already looks like he's in midseason form
We all know Gordon is the Nuggets' top defender (though Alpha Diallo is trying to give him a run for it). But the depth in his offensive game has looked amazing over the past three games. Gordon isn't just knocking down threes and getting dunks in the paint. He's getting out on the fast break, too. He was on the receiving end of a beauty of a full-court pass from Nikola Jokic that led to an athletic move, and he scored an easy bucket on a layup.
Gordon's looking explosive and mobile, and more importantly, he looks fresh and springy. He was able to stifle the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Caleb Wilson, multiple times in the post and in the paint.
It's highly encouraging to see Gordon off to such a strong, healthy start. Both he and the Nuggets put together a plan this summer to help keep him on the court more this year. So far, that plan looks to be working. Gordon is critical to the team's overall success, and one of the reasons the Nuggets looked so bad against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs last year was because Gordon was hobbled and out.
It would be great to see the shooting pace continue, but obviously, those numbers are bound to come down. However, it's highly encouraging to see Gordon looking like he's in midseason form after only three games.
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