Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon sustained multiple soft tissue injuries last season, having missed time during the regular season with a calf strain and then suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in the team’s second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Aaron Gordon Injured Right Hamstring
Gordon missed Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans due to hamstring injury management before returning to action on Friday versus the Houston Rockets.
However, three minutes into the game, Gordon injured his right hamstring.
The Nuggets initially deemed Gordon questionable to return with a right hamstring strain, but he was later ruled out for the remainder of Friday’s game against Houston.
If Gordon is out for an extended period of time, coach David Adelman suggested that centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas could see increased roles together.
“We’ll sit down again after tonight, with the discomfort that he had,” Adelman said. “We’ll find out what the severity is. … Aaron is a strong personality that knows what his body feels like, and so part of that conversation is his, too. The medical, the team, Aaron, and what’s right for him.
“Obviously, the goal is to get him to the end of the year, if we’re lucky enough to be in [the playoffs]. That’s the most important thing to me, and obviously Aaron’s long-term health as a player. Love the guy to death. So yeah, we’ll make the best decision for him, with his counsel as well.”
Jokic, Valanciunas Could Play More Together
Through 13 games (all starts) with the Nuggets this season, Gordon is averaging a career-high 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 28.3 minutes per contest with a shooting line of 53.2/44.4/86.7.
His 3-point and free throw percentages are both career bests.
“What Aaron is for us is enormous,” Adelman continued. “So if he misses some time … other guys will fill in. They’ll do their thing. We’ll look a little bit different. We’ll play different lineups, and we’ll play a different way. But we’ll still have our constants in there. And obviously we really, really need Aaron back as soon as possible, whenever he’s ready to come back.”
Adelman had already planned to use Jokic and Valanciunas together in the lineup before Gordon’s injury. The big men ended up playing almost eight minutes together in the win over Houston.
Those minutes were also played entirely against Houston’s own double-big strategy, which involved the duo facing Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela.
It’s unclear how well this tactic will work when matched up with other contenders.
The Nuggets host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
