What happened to Aaron Gordon? Nuggets Star’s extended locker room stay raises concerns after recent return to injury

The Denver Nuggets are tied in a very intense game against the Phoenix Suns. Coming in, they arguably had an advantage with Devin Booker forced to the sidelines. For a team looking for confidence, a win at Christmas continues to push the tempo of the game. But the job from here on out only gets harder for Denver.

The gods of injury have struck Aaron Gordon with yet another affliction. When the teams returned from the break, Gordon remained in the locker room to further evaluate his injury. And the team didn’t have the best news regarding the striker. The Nuggets announced that Gordon is “questionable” to return to their Christmas Day clash due to right calf tightness.

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

The former magic wizard has been a victim of injuries over a short period of time. After a strong start to his campaign, the 29-year-old will miss several weeks with a sprained right calf. He sat out ten games and did not return until early December in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

While he could have helped Nikola Jokic and Co significantly in their bid to fight back against Phoenix, the organization may want to be cautious as the ailment is on the same right leg. Hopefully it doesn’t have to be another long 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 changed. “Winning inspires me” he said during the media day. And that moved him enough to develop some solid traits during the NBA offseason that have translated smoothly into this season.

One of them is his three-point shot, which he developed to give Nikola Jokic another opportunity to expose himself. Since joining the Nuggets, Gordon had not shot over 35% from the perimeter. It was largely due to his inner game with the Joker. After his postseason exit last year, however, Gordon understood the need to develop key facets of his game each season.

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

And his influence really goes unrecognized. Aaron Gordon has the third-best net differential on the Nuggets. The team is 5.9 points better than their rivals when Gordon plays. The Nuggets are just 6-5 without the former Magic forward this season. Therefore, his importance to the team is enormous.

Tonight, with him absent in the second half, the Suns found a way to gradually build their lead. The Nuggets lost a dimension of their offense, and with their struggles could not stop Phoenix’s heavy ball movements.