The Nuggets got some great injury news on Saturday as Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun were both upgraded to questionable on the injury report for Sunday’s game in Brooklyn. Fans were rejoicing, and rightfully so; this is awesome news, but people shouldn’t assume these guys will slot right back into the lineup immediately.
The upgrades from out to questionable are huge, but it’s not a guarantee they’ll play on Sunday. Even if they don’t, they are clearly very close to a return, and even if it means waiting one or two more games, given all this team has been through, they can survive that.
This is a team that just started Jalen Pickett, Spencer Jones, Peyton Watson, and DaRon Holmes alongside Jamal Murray in a regular-season game on the road against a tough opponent, and nearly won. So, while it seems like it’s all doom and gloom around Denver, it’s not.
This has been a tough blip on the radar, and there will be a few more tough weeks without Nikola Jokic, of course, but things are starting to bounce back. Adding CB and AG will fortify the rotations on both ends and give this squad a chance to compete in every game until the rest of the cavalry returns.
Don’t expect 100% Aaron Gordon immediately
The other thing to watch is how Gordon’s body responds going forward. This is about the third season in a row in which AG has struggled through calf and hamstring injuries. It’s fair to wonder if these are nagging issues that will require management for the rest of his career.
As badly as the Nuggets need Gordon back, they really need him fresh and healthy for what’s hopefully a long playoff run. The soft-tissue injuries aren’t going away, so David Adelman and his staff need to be smart with how Gordon is utilized for the rest of the season.
Don’t be surprised if Gordon starts off coming off the bench, as he did last season when returning from a similar injury. He may also have a minutes restriction in place, and there may be scheduled days off going forward. It will probably seem frustrating in the moment, but it’s for the long-term good of the team.
They need this team firing on all cylinders in mid-April, and if that means resting Gordon and saving him from himself to an extent, that’s absolutely what they should do. As nice as it would be to have AG right now, it’s much more critical to have 100% of him in May and June.