Aaron Gordon could be the deciding factor of the Nuggets season

Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets open their season tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver has been far better with Gordon on the floor than without him.

The Denver Nuggets open their season tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and expectations are mixed. Last spring ended with a first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The offseason brought the Peyton Watson trade and the DeMar DeRozan signing, along with plenty of frustration. Denver still has Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The bigger question may be whether the Nuggets have Aaron Gordon for most of the season.

On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans, with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Denver Sports analyst Jake Shapiro joined the show. He started by making clear how he feels about Gordon as a player.

“Look, Aaron Gordon’s one of my favorite Nuggets of all time. I think he’s a lot of people’s favorite Nugget of all time. But, he has not played 16 basketball games in a row on the Nuggets schedule since like, late in the 2024-25 season. Like, it’s been a long time. So I am not gonna trust his ability to do that, until I see it,” Shapiro said.

The availability numbers support Shapiro’s caution. Aaron Gordon played just 39 games last season, including three in the playoffs. Injuries have limited him for several years, and they kept showing up at the worst times. When Denver needed his defense and toughness against Minnesota, he wasn’t fully available.

That matters because the Nuggets are much better with him. Last regular season, Denver scored 124.7 points per 100 possessions with Gordon on the floor and allowed 112.0. Without him, the offense dropped to 119.3 and the defense allowed 116.5. Denver was 9.9 points per 100 possessions better with Gordon playing.

Shapiro put that number in perspective.

“As far as how important he is. The Nuggets outscored their opponents by over 10 points per 100 possessions, which would be like, one of the best marks in the history of the NBA, when Aaron Gordon was on the floor,” Shapiro said.

Aaron Gordon helps on both ends. On offense, he cuts well off Jokic, finishes lobs and keeps defenses from loading up on the two stars. On defense, he can guard bigger forwards and skilled big men, which is a large part of what Denver gave up when it traded Watson. With Watson gone, Gordon is even more important to the Nuggets’ defense.

Shapiro said Gordon’s availability changes what kind of team Denver is.

“The Nuggets go from a decent team, to one of the best teams in the league when Aaron Gordon is available. Will that ring true this year? Not sure, but it has in the past,” Shapiro said.

That has been the theme of Denver’s offseason. Mark Schlereth asked this summer whether a healthy Aaron Gordon would have been enough for the Nuggets to compete with San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Mike Evans warned that the Nuggets would win enough regular-season games to make fans believe, then run into trouble in the playoffs. Gordon’s health is the biggest variable in both of those predictions.

Tonight’s opener against the Thunder will offer an early look at where Denver stands. One game won’t answer the Aaron Gordon question, though. Shapiro wants to see him string together a long stretch of games before he believes it. If Aaron Gordon stays on the floor, the Nuggets look like a contender. If he misses time again, they look a lot like last year’s team.

Related

2026 Broncos averaging fewest yards per play in franchise history… for nowCourtland Sutton says ‘tide is going to turn’ and people will call Bo Nix ‘the best’Cooper returns to Broncos practice, speaks publicly for first time since arrestsBo Nix says ‘I’m not scared’ but admits mental aspect coming back from ankle surgeriesSean Payton on his play-calling so far: ‘You’re never satisfied’Jonathon Cooper might be on a snap count if he plays in return from exempt list