The Nuggets’ newfound depth has reshaped the roster and their lineups and rotations, but a big part of the new flexibility has been the play of Aaron Gordon, and especially his lights-out three-point shooting. As he continues to drill outside shots at a high level, it’s opening up the floor for the rest of the offense to thrive.
Gordon has been hitting shots at a high clip for some time now, but the sample size has become big enough that this no longer feels like a fluke, and defenses have started to adjust and pay attention to Gordon at all times. The fact that he has become a true floor spacer has opened up many possibilities for David Adelman, and the Nuggets can get much more creative with their lineups.
In past seasons, the Nuggets basically got their shooting from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. They needed to have at least one of those players on the court to have any semblance of spacing, which massively limited lineup possibilities and made it hard to play positive defensive lineups.
The Nuggets’ bench players, Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson, were only clogging up the spacing, and Gordon was needed to play down low more often than was ideal. There was very little optionality or room for creativity. They basically had one way to play, and if it didn’t work, there was no room to pivot.
Gordon’s shooting has lifted Nuggets’ defense
But now that Gordon is a true spacer and the Nuggets have more options off the bench, they can lean into some unique lineups, and they can afford to play their best defenders without tanking the offense.
Denver can play lineups with Watson, Christian Braun, Bruce Brown, and others, along with Gordon, putting out several of their best defenders at once. But now Gordon can keep the spacing clean and allow the team to flourish on both ends, even when Nikola Jokic is on the bench.
Before, the team had to stagger Jokic and Murray as much as possible, but now Gordon is in that mix as well. Adelman can mix and match lineups and be creative and experimental this season. But unlike in years past, it’s not costing the team regular-season wins.
The Nuggets are playing over their skis on both offense and defense so far this season. It may not sustain at this level all season, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism, and Gordon’s new and improved shooting is a big reason why.