Since being traded to Denver, Aaron Gordon has been a perfect fit in every possible way. The one-time future star coming out of the NBA draft was always a bit overtasked in Orlando. He was always a solid player putting up impressive stats, but it was pretty clear the Magic weren’t going anywhere with Gordon as the team’s go-to guy on offense.
There were some questions about how Gordon would fare in a smaller role once he got to Denver, but those questions were answered very quickly. The role was ideal for Gordon; he was able to focus on the things he does best and excel as a defender, a play-finisher, and a secondary option.
He quickly earned the nickname “Mr. Nugget”, becoming an elite role player, and playing an instrumental role in helping the team secure the first championship in franchise history in 2023. Gordon has thrived as a screener, playing out of the dunker spot, and building a two-man game with Nikola Jokic.
He has become a floor spacer, but in a less conventional way than has become common around the league. He does it with his above-the-rim gravity, rather than the three-point shooting that allows other players and teams to open things up.
Can Aaron Gordon continue torrid 3-point shooting?
But this season, Gordon has shockingly been a marksman from the outside, shooting almost 46% from three on the season on over three attempts per game. It started off as a hot streak and a fun little subplot, but never really felt sustainable.
Yet, here we are, just a handful of games from the end of the regular season, and Gordon hasn’t cooled off at all. He has always been capable of hitting open shots, but we’ve never seen anything like this before. For his career, Gordon is a 33% three-point shooter and in his four seasons in Denver, he’s gone 27/33/35/29.
So, this year appears to be a complete outlier, coming at a time when the team has been desperate for three-point shooting and volume. Gordon has been an unexpected source of threes, but it has helped a lot. The question becomes, can this be relied upon in the playoffs?
Despite the numbers, teams are likely not going to fully trust or fear Gordon’s shot and he will likely get as many open looks as he can handle. Is Gordon going to lean into that and be willing to put up 5+ threes a night?
If that’s the case, and Gordon can continue to shoot it at a high level, that would be great news for the Nuggets and cause opponents to ultimately make adjustments. But if Gordon’s shooting regresses back to the mean, then the Nuggets are going to be the team that has to make some adjustments.
It’s not the be-all and end-all, but this is one of the most critical storylines to monitor as the playoffs start. We’ve already seen teams send extra help to Jokic and Jamal Murray and dare the other Nuggets to beat them with shooting. Can Gordon be a guy who beats them, or will be one of the players that defenses are locked in on?