Featured Columnist IVNovember 5, 2024
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The Denver Nuggets are in the midst of an inconsistent begin to the season at 4-3, and they’re going to now have to tread water for the fast future with out one among their finest gamers.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Aaron Gordon can be sidelined for “a number of weeks” as a result of he suffered a proper calf pressure.
That is fairly the blow for Denver, as Gordon’s general versatility on each ends of the ground can be tough to interchange. His chemistry with Nikola Jokić additionally stands out, as the large man usually seems to be his method for lobs and kick passes when dealing with double groups.
Gordon is averaging 15.4 factors, 6.7 rebounds and three.1 assists an evening whereas capturing 52.9 % from the ground and 54.5 % from deep via seven video games this season. He poured in 31 factors in a sport towards the Minnesota Timberwolves and has offered essential outdoors capturing that hasn’t at all times been a constant a part of his offensive arsenal.
An harm to Gordon can be significantly tough for the Nuggets past simply his personal particular person expertise.
This staff is not very deep, particularly within the daunting Western Convention. Any setback for one of many key gamers comparable to Jokić, Gordon, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will put much more onus on a bench that has drastically underperformed within the early going this season.
And Murray is within the league’s concussion protocol and missed Monday’s win over the Toronto Raptors.
In line with NBA.com, Denver’s bench is last within the league in web score at minus-6.9.
With Murray and Gordon coping with accidents, that struggling bench can be all of the extra essential because the Nuggets look to place themselves within the Western Convention playoff race. Search for Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji to see extra enjoying time whereas Gordon is out.
