Injuries have been not just a nagging theme but a destabilizing epidemic on the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth chart since the first game of Summer League this year, when first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II tore his Achilles tendon.
In a heartbeat, one potential solution to Nikola Jokic’s rest minutes was done for the year. Now a second possible solution is out long-term. Three games into an eye-opening string of performances from Vlatko Cancar, he re-injured his left knee in Memphis, eventually leading to an arthroscopic surgery that was performed this week.
That leaves an endlessly revolving door between Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric and DeAndre Jordan. Or there’s Aaron Gordon, seemingly the one player whom Michael Malone trusts to perform backup center duties on a consistent basis.
The catch-22 is that Gordon arguably shouldn’t be doubling up on roles too much this early in the season — especially in the immediate aftermath of his own injury. After all, playing the backup five for Denver seems practically cursed at this point. Whether for performance or health reasons, nobody can stay on the court for long.
Gordon, 29, missed 10 games with a calf strain in November after walking off the court four minutes into a game at Ball Arena. He had been listed on Denver’s injury report as having calf inflammation before that game.
“I was trying to play through something I probably shouldn’t have played through,” he told The Denver Post. “The whole side of my leg was bruised. I tried to play through it. My calf just took the brunt of it.”
He says it’s the kind of pain he has played through “all the time” throughout his career. But this time, it might’ve been a duly noted wake-up call. “I’m getting older now,” the power forward said Tuesday night at Ball Arena.
The Nuggets had just pulled off a riveting 119-115 comeback win over the Warriors. Gordon was a huge part of it. He had officially returned from his injury two days earlier against the Clippers, coming off the bench with a minutes restriction and playing a heavy dose of those minutes (23) as a center. But then against Golden State, he had played almost 33.
“You’re getting play-making (back). You’re getting defense. You’re getting physical rebounding. And just a presence,” Malone said. “And obviously, second half, I probably went over the minutes restriction, but we needed a win, and he said he was good to go.”
Gordon is an exceptional talent, more of a superglue guy than your standard Elmer’s brand role player. His presence in the second unit had restorative powers once again Thursday in Cleveland after Malone decided he couldn’t afford to leave Nnaji at center any longer. Gordon’s minutes without Jokic helped spark a comeback in the first half. In the second half, for the third consecutive game since his return, he played the five for Jokic’s entire rest stint.
How sustainable will that be going forward if Gordon is also expected to play his regular rotations with the starting lineup? That’s where the Nuggets like him most: playing off Jokic. Sure enough, after logging 34 minutes against the Cavs — “in the ballpark” of his minutes restriction, according to Malone — Gordon was ruled out two nights later in Washington, again due to the same calf.
His minutes will probably require some sort of give-and-take if Malone decides playing him at center is the best path forward for Denver’s frontcourt. And even then, shortening the rotation to eight — even for just one half of each game — can have stamina-related ramifications for the entire lineup over time.
“We may have to do that,” Malone said. “The reason I’m doing that is because that’s what’s being asked of us right now. We’re 11-9 in our first 20 games and trying to find a group of guys off the bench when Nikola’s not in that can try to survive, and thrive, more importantly. And we’ve tried a lot of different options. And unfortunately, a lot of those different possible rotations haven’t yielded the results that we want. So in the second half, if we have to use AG as a five, then we may have to do that. Because the reality is this. Right now we’re on pace to win 45 games. That might get you in the play-in. So this is not like years past where we have the luxury of saying, well, we’ll be fine. That’s not the case right now. This is a different team. This is a new season. And this is our current reality, as we face the next 20 games of our season. And if it calls upon playing guys like Aaron those minutes, then that may be what we have to do on a given night.”
Gordon’s recovery was boring, in his terms.
“I shot 1,000 free throws, 2,000 free throws,” he said. “Probably 5,000 free throws. Hella free throws.”
They paid off with a pair of game-winners in the last minute against Golden State. The more pressing question was whether his 3-pointer would be the same as it was pre-injury. And sure enough, he answered that with an early heat check on Tuesday. In his first three games back, he shot 50% from the perimeter while averaging 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
He can play bully ball or a spot-up role (at his current shooting rate). He can play the four or the five. He can defend a variety of positions on a team that has struggled to get stops all season. “You’ve gotta pay attention to detail. We’re (screwing) the gameplan up too many times,” he told The Post. “Just errors.” Having him healthy is a necessity for the Nuggets’ depth, perhaps even more so than for their starting lineup.
The pertinent question will be how Malone threads the needle between the two.
