The Denver Nuggets entered Friday's game in Milwaukee down six rotation players, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, that number had risen to seven. Aaron Gordon, the only regular starter to suit up, left the game late in the first half after grabbing his right hamstring. Fans immediately worried that it was another hamstring strain, and unfortunately, they were right.
Gordon returned at the beginning of this month after missing several weeks with a hamstring strain. He said after the Nuggets' win over the Wizards on Thursday that he felt better than he had in a while, which is impossible to read as anything but a good sign. However, the following night, he suffered another hamstring injury.
Denver listed him as out for Sunday's postponed game in Memphis. The team's next game will be on Tuesday, when they welcome the No. 1 seed in the East, the Pistons, to Ball Arena. Odds are that AG will miss that game, too. The Nuggets haven't said how long he'll be sidelined, though David Adelman said Gordon was "optimistic" it wasn't "as bad" as his last one.
While that is the scenario everyone in Denver hopes for, even when he returns, fans will still fear another soft-tissue injury.
Nuggets' Aaron Gordon hit with another hamstring strain
You don't need to be told how important Gordon is to what the Nuggets want to do — win another championship. You already knew that, well before his incredible postseason run last year, that included a game-winning dunk against the Clippers and a three-pointer against the Thunder.
You already know, too, that he strained his left hamstring in Game 6 against OKC. If it weren't the playoffs, he wouldn't have played in Game 7, but with Denver's season on the line, AG started, finishing with eight points and 11 rebounds in the loss. He, obviously, didn't play with the explosiveness that a healthy Gordon possesses.
The Nuggets' new front office duo retooled the roster over the offseason, but you can't replace the void that AG leaves whenever he's not on the floor — his gritty defense, his rebounding, his hustle, and his three-point shooting. Denver is better with Gordon.
If they have to navigate part of the postseason (or all of it) without AG, their title chances will take a hit, no matter if he's the only player sidelined. To be clear, we're still over two months away from the start of the playoffs, so he won't be out until then. However, with yet another hamstring strain, Denver has to be more cautious than ever, as the goal is to have him as healthy as possible by the end of the regular season.
Gordon's history of soft-tissue injuries is alarming, giving the Nuggets yet another reason to err on the side of caution during this recovery process. If not, it could cost them one of their key players (again) when they need him most.