All of the talk around the Nuggets’ injuries has been dominated by updates on the three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but what’s flying under the radar is that Aaron Gordon has returned and is getting back to 100%. He has played more than 29 minutes in four straight games, including both legs of a back-to-back in New Orleans and Dallas.
And more importantly, he’s looking better each game, taking on a bigger role offensively, and getting back to anchoring the defense, especially as they remain without a true center. The scoring returned right away for AG, who has gone 20, 12, 14, 23, 16, 22, 8 in the points column of his game logs since re-entering the lineup on January 4th.
But lately, everything else is picking up as well, culminating in his near triple-double on Saturday night, dropping 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on the Wizards, with dominant defensive play and an alley-oop dunk to seal the home victory.
Put simply, he’s starting to look like Aaron Gordon again. Obviously, the health of Jokic and, to a lesser extent, Jamal Murray, are vital factors for the Nuggets, but Gordon is the straw that stirs the drink, and his ability to operate as a Swiss Army Knife on both ends of the floor is what puts this team over the hump.
Soft tissue injuries have plagued Gordon for years
With all of the quad and hamstring issues that Gordon has dealt with over the past few seasons, there has been plenty of concern about these injuries lingering. The last thing we want is for Gordon to be plagued by this for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
It’s always scary to see him out there, to see him stretching out his minutes, and to see him playing on back-to-back nights. But at the end of the day, it’s great that he and the medical staff feel comfortable with it, and that he continues to perform so well.
Gordon has proven to be a true weapon for the Nuggets, a guy who can guard the other team’s best player, defend the rim, throw down thunderous dunks, drain threes, and run the offense. There isn’t much he can’t do on a basketball court. With the Nuggets playing so well and finding so much depth, it allows them to fully optimize Gordon and accentuate his strengths rather than using him to plug holes.
It’s an exciting possibility, and something that makes this squad extremely dangerous at full strength. Now, we just have to make sure we get there and that everybody can get back to full health, and this team is firing on all cylinders when the playoffs begin in April.