What Happened to Aaron Gordon? Nuggets Star’s Extended Locker Room Stay Sparks Concern After Recent Injury Return

The Denver Nuggets are tied in a highly intense game against the Phoenix Suns. Coming in, they arguably held an advantage with Devin Booker forced to be on the sidelines. For a team looking for confidence, a win on Christmas continues to push the pace of the game. But the job from here on out is only going to get harder for Denver.

The injury gods have struck another ailment to Aaron Gordon. When the teams returned from the halftime break, Gordon remained in the locker room to further assess his injury. And the team didn’t have the greatest news with regard to the forward. The Nuggets announced that Gordon is “questionable” to return to their Christmas day clash due to right calf tightness.

On a team struggling to stop opponents, Gordon’s atomic athleticism and physicality allow the Nuggets to pose some resistance. Moreover, the dynamic forward has developed a sweet dynamic besides Nikola Jokic. Tonight, he could only contribute with 7 points and 3 rebounds in his 19 minutes on the floor before exiting.

The former Magic stalwart has been the victim of injuries over a short spell. After a strong start to his campaign, the 29-year-old has to miss multiple weeks with a right calf sprain. He sat out ten games, only returning at the beginning of December in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

While he could have helped Jokic and Co significantly in their attempt to fight back against Phoenix, maybe the organization wants to be cautious as the ailment is on the same right leg. Hopefully, it won’t have to be another long time absence for Aaron Gordon.

Aaron Gordon has reinvented himself for the Nuggets

Since experiencing a championship berth with the Nuggets two years ago, Aaron Gordon’s mentality has seen a switch. “Winning inspires me” he said during media day. And it moved him enough to develop some solid traits during the NBA offseason which have translated smoothly into this season.

One of those is his three-point shot, one that he developed to give Nikola Jokic another outlet to defer to. Since joining the Nuggets, Gordon hadn’t shot over 35% from the perimeter. It was largely because of his inside game with the Joker. However, after the postseason exit last year, Gordon understood the need to develop key facets of his game every season.

This year, he is converting 44.9% of his 3.1 average attempts per game. He ranks third on the Nuggets this season. Moreover, defensively, his acumen has grown tremendously. As he continues to play hard, Gordon’s often the man Malone relies on to guard the best player of the opposition since the loss of KCP.

And his impact is truly going unrecognized. Aaron Gordon has the third-best net differential on the Nuggets. The team is 5.9 points better than their rivals when Gordon is playing. The Nuggets are just 6-5 without the former Magic forward this season. Hence, his importance to the team is vast.

Tonight, with him being absent in the second half, the Suns found an avenue to gradually build their lead-up. The Nuggets lost a dimension of their offense, and with their struggles couldn’t contain Phoenix’s heavy ball movement offense.