Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is a master at his craft. Sometimes, he doesn’t even have to move.
He’ll throw his back to the basket and begin scanning the floor. What defenses will often do is slowly begin rotating over to his side. Numerous eyes are watching his every wiggle.
That typically does one thing: open up the court for the other Nuggets. Swaths of vacant hardwood for players like Aaron Gordon — whom they refer to as “Mr. Nugget” — to wheel and deal.
Many inside the Denver organization have echoed those sentiments for years. They wholeheartedly believe that when the Nuggets’ star forward is healthy and in the lineup, the team’s chances of winning games skyrocket. Now, in the final stretch of a wildly unpredictable season, Jokic has put that belief into words — and in doing so, dropped what many are calling a bombshell on just how vital the Jokic-Gordon partnership has become.
Gordon, 30, has battled a litany of injuries over the last couple of seasons. He has been limited to just 36 games this season with only two tilts remaining on the schedule. But he appears healthy now and has been in the lineup over this 10-game winning streak the Nuggets are on.
That streak, which has suddenly made Denver dangerous again, has been fueled in large part by the frontcourt magic created when Jokic and Gordon are sharing the floor. And after Sunday’s signature win over the second-seed San Antonio Spurs, the three-time MVP made his feelings crystal clear.
“He’s definitely one of the most versatile defenders in the league,” Jokic said. “He can guard multiple positions. … Hopefully we can stay healthy, and he can perform like that in the future.”
It was more than just praise. It was a public declaration of partnership at the exact moment the Nuggets needed it most.
The Denver forward executed an immaculate defensive possession on league MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. That was just moments after he converted a rim-crushing dunk to tie the game. Gordon’s fingerprints were everywhere in a victory that felt like a statement: when the two big men are clicking, Denver becomes something special.
It has been a strange season. Significant injuries have come for not just Gordon, but also Jokic, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun and key depth pieces in Spencer Jones and Zeke Nnaji. Stars in street clothes combined with stretches of mightily poor play has engineered an erratic campaign for Denver. The Nuggets hit the ground running, quickly looking like a top team in a stacked Western Conference. Then midseason happened and so did a lot of losing.
The Nuggets seemingly bottomed out a few weeks ago in a loss to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies. The season felt over for all intents and purposes. Then Denver battled back and has suddenly done something it has never done in the 12 years the franchise’s greatest player ever has been here — win 10 in a row.
A lot of the Nuggets’ late-season resurgence has been thanks to the majestic play of Jokic. And a lot of it can also be attributed to Gordon playing consistently again.
There’s no denying this team has a hill to climb to even make it to the Western Conference finals. As things stand presently, the Nuggets would play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs. Both clubs were taken down to a Game 7 in the second round a couple of years ago with Minnesota triumphing. Getting by the Timberwolves likely means a date with these Spurs. San Antonio may have the talent, defense and athleticism, but the Nuggets have the experience. If Gordon is available throughout these games, Denver has to like its chances.
Denver hasn’t been downright terrible without Gordon — it has gone 25-19 without him this season — but clearly isn’t close to its maximum capability unless he’s in the lineup. The Nuggets have two games to go before the playoffs — both against the top two seeds in the West. Unless both the Oklahoma City Thunder, who locked up the top seed last night, and the Spurs surprisingly play their starters, Denver has the opportunity to finish the season winning 12 consecutive games.
For a franchise that has ridden Jokic’s brilliance for more than a decade, the message from their superstar was unmistakable: the path forward runs through a healthy Aaron Gordon. The partnership isn’t just nice to have. In Jokic’s eyes, it may be the difference between another early exit and a legitimate shot at going deep into the postseason.