Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon claims his lingering calf injury doesn’t bother him anymore, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The veteran big man has been playing under a minutes restriction, but it sounds like he’s amenable to changing that.
“I’m ready,” Gordon said. “I don’t feel my calf anymore. Yeah. I’m ready. So it’s on the training staff and the coaching staff now.”
Gordon has yet to play more than 25 minutes in a contest since returning from the calf injury. Durando notes that staggering the minutes of Gordon and Jokic has had an intriguing benefit for Denver — the Nuggets sport a 9.5 net rating when Gordon plays without Jokic. Denver has historically suffered when its three-time MVP sits, often because he generally plays alongside Gordon. The 6’8″ forward is the 2023 champs’ top defender, and is a savvy and efficient post scorer.
“We just need to continue to stay with it,” head coach Michael Malone said of the team’s current strategy. “Bring him off the bench for the time being, and utilize him in any way we can to help us get wins.”
There’s more out of Denver:
- As Aaron Gordon‘s health continues to improve, it begs the question of just when — or if — he should be returned to the Nuggets’ first five. The Denver Post’s Troy Renck and Bennett Durando wonder if such a move should happen, and whether it happening would impact how Denver approaches this year’s February 6 trade deadline. Swingman Christian Braun has been starting ahead of Gordon lately, with forward Michael Porter Jr. playing up a position to accommodate Braun.
- After a middling 11-10 start to the season, with Jokic averaging 37.7 minutes a night, the Nuggets hardly looked like they’d have much left in the tank for the playoffs. But something has shifted lately. Now, Denver is 28-17, currently good for the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed. In another piece, Durando assesses the team’s needs at the trade deadline. Durando notes that the team could use another scoring star if it wanted to take a big swing, a la Chicago’s Zach LaVine or Miami’s Jimmy Butler. Durando adds that a frontcourt upgrade or some long range bench sniping could also help improve the team for the 2024/25 home stretch.
- In case you missed it, Nikola Jokic continues to make a case for earning his third straight MVP this spring — and his fourth in five years.