Tim MacMahon went on the latest Hoop Collective with Brian Windhorst podcast and proclaimed a truth that all Nuggets fans are coming to realize. The Nuggets are a completely different team defensively with Aaron Gordon in the lineup, and the difference is striking.
He's so important to the Nuggets that Tim Bontemps even called him the "fourth most important player" in the Western Conference. "They are an abysmal defensive team without Aaron Gordon," MacMahon said.
They aren't wrong. And they brought the receipts to back it up.
Per MacMahon, in 23 games with Gordon on the floor, the Nuggets have a defensive rating of 108.9. However, it balloons to an eye-watering 117.6 when he's out of the lineup. A difference of being in 3rd place overall defensively versus dropping to 27th.
That's a stark difference, and it's the main reason the Nuggets are 17-6 with AG in the lineup, and just 19-16 without him. He's a defensive stopper who's been having his best season offensively, scoring a career-high 17.7 points per game in his sixth year with the Nuggets.
At least Gordon's finally on the mend. He's playing one-on-one, running, jumping, dunking, and getting ready for a return to game action in the next few weeks. He's finally heading in the right direction in his recovery from a hamstring injury. They linger, as we know. This is Gordon's second extended absence this season due to the same injury.
They weren't done lobbing jabs at the Nuggets
"They are suddenly, strangely, a mess in crunch time," MacMahon said, referencing the Nuggets' collapse in the final five minutes against the Warriors. "They could not stop anything on the Warriors, and the Warriors were missing their three best players," chimed in Windy. Tell us about it.
It's been happening to the Nuggets more this year than ever before. The injuries that have piled up certainly couldn't have helped, but the eye-opening difference with Gordon versus without him is too much to ignore.
Head coach David Adelman is going to have his hands full easing Gordon back into the lineup. The Nuggets clearly need him on the floor, but they need him on the floor in the playoffs even more.
There's going to be a fine line, but perhaps using Gordon as a reserve at first and letting him play his above-average defense in the clutch would be a good start. Whatever the case, the Nuggets and their fans can't wait to see AG back in the lineup.