"My hope is that we get the full group back with 20 games to go," said Nuggets head coach David Adelman. Those are the words every Nuggets fan has been waiting weeks to hear. Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson will be back soon, and the Nuggets will finally be whole.
March 5th, 20 games to go. We have a timeline. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it feels great to see.
Adelman said Gordon "did basically everything but the contact stuff," and that it's still a day-by-day thing. But the overall update should have Nuggets fans breathing a sigh of relief, as the injury nightmare is just about over.
The Nuggets haven't been whole since mid-November, when Christian Braun first went down with an ankle injury. But it's the hamstring injury to Gordon that's been making headlines recently, highlighting how important he is to Denver's defense when he's in the lineup. The Nuggets are third in the league, allowing 108.9 points with Gordon, and 27th without him, allowing 117.6
That disparity is the reason Nuggets fans have been chomping at the bit, anticipating Gordon's return. The last 10 games since Nikola Jokic came back from his own injury have seen the Nuggets play some very bad basketball to close games out, going just 1-5 in their last 6 clutch games.
Gordon's stellar defense will be a welcome addition to the crunch-time rotation. But his offensive contributions can't be overlooked.
He had a 50 burger on opening night, and he's averaging a career-high 17.7 points. The Nuggets have missed his spacing and his rotational awareness. We'll finally get a good look at what the Nuggets really look like when healthy. And they should have time to gel before the playoffs. It's finally coming together.
The Nuggets are getting the band back together just in time
It's been a topsy-turvy stretch for the Nuggets. They're just 4-6 since the Joker came back, but they also just set the record for the largest margin of victory in franchise history and scored 157 points in the dismantling of the Blazers. They followed that up by losing to a depleted Warriors squad that scored 128 points and left the Nuggets standing flat-footed late in the game.
That's not the consistency you expect out of a championship-winning team. But in the 23-games that Gordon's played, the Nuggets are 17-6. Much better than the 19-16 without him. His presence has been sorely missed.
However, these final four games before the potential returns of Gordon and Watson are going to be a real test of the Nuggets' might. Denver plays Boston, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota before finally getting a 'break' against the tanking and depleted Utah Jazz.
And then there's a good chance the Nuggets will be whole again, on March 5th, with 20 games to go. Finally. Whole.