The already challenging start of the 2024-25 NBA season for the Denver Nuggets could get even rockier. Nuggets’ starting forward Aaron Gordon is currently dealing with a right calf strain, and the team reportedly expects him to miss several weeks.
Gordon dealt with calf inflammation for a while but initially tried to play through the injury. However, he ended up aggravating it during the Nuggets’ 121-119 comeback win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Gordon ended up playing just four minutes, scoring three points and dishing one assist, before leaving to the locker room and not returning.
Losing Gordon is a big blow for the Nuggets. He is considered Denver’s third-best player behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and he is the best defender on the team. On top of that, Gordon has been productive early in the campaign, averaging 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while making 54.5% of his three-point attempts.
Third-year player Peyton Watson and 2023’s first-round pick Julian Strawther are considered the most likely candidates to fill in for Gordon. Additionally, sparsely-used Hunter Tyson could also end up receiving more minutes.
Even with Gordon in the lineup, the Nuggets have been struggling to find consistency. They opened the season with two losses and looked rather unconvincing on the court even after starting to get wins. Now, it appears things could even get worse for the 2023 NBA Champions.
