The Denver Nuggets are facing elimination on their home court in Game 5 on Monday, and they'll likely be without Aaron Gordon, who is dealing with a calf injury. He played in Game 4 after missing Game 3, but he didn't look like himself, finishing with nine points and only one rebound in 23 minutes.
It's not ideal at all to be without the do-it-all forward with the season on the ropes, but the Nuggets don't want Gordon to put himself in a position to suffer a serious injury. Think back to what happened with Tyrese Haliburton in last year's playoffs. Denver can't risk that.
Gordon probably shouldn't have been out there on Saturday in the first place, and it didn't help that Denver dropped that one. It couldn't have been good for him, either, to see Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards go down with injuries, knowing what he was dealing with. It'd be hard not to be affected by that.
Unfortunately, the right call is to be without AG until he's truly ready to return; if the Nuggets are still alive, then.
Nuggets need Aaron Gordon, but they can't risk him getting hurt
It's the second year in a row that Denver is in a do-or-die situation without Gordon being as close to healthy as possible during this time of the year. He played through a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Game 7 of the semifinals last year against the Thunder, but he wasn't his usual self. If he were out there tonight, it'd look the same.
He wasn't able to get lift on his shots in Game 4, and struggled to jump in general due to his calf issues. He wasn't effective. You have to admire him for putting his body on the line like that, but as ESPN's Shams Charania said, the Nuggets have to "protect him from himself."
If the season ends tonight, it will be tough to accept, knowing that Gordon couldn't give it a go. That might still be the case even if the series goes to Game 6 or 7, but maybe AG can make a comeback, though calf injuries are tricky.
It hurts to reflect on the hype around Denver at the start of the season after the front office retooled the roster, only to find themselves in a similar position to last year. Gordon is too important to who the Nuggets are to believe that they'll be able to bounce back and make a deep playoff run without him.
Next season, assuming he's still around, is too important. Denver can't afford to be without Gordon for the majority of the year, and the organization knows that. What they also know, though, is that time is ticking to win another title. If only AG were at his best.
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