The Denver Nuggets are already playing without the sidelined Nikola Jokić, and they will reportedly be without Aaron Gordon for more than a month as well.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Gordon re-aggravated the right hamstring injury he suffered in November. The plan is to reevaluate his hamstring strain in four-to-six weeks.
Gordon didn’t play from Nov. 21 until Jan. 4 because of his initial injury but has been an important piece in the frontcourt this month with Jokić out. The three-time MVP has not played since Dec. 29 because of a knee injury.
However, Jokić seems much closer to returning considering Charania reported Tuesday he will be reevaluated in one week.
Much of the offensive onus will be on Jamal Murray in the immediate future with both Gordon and Jokić out.
Gordon is averaging 17.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. His ability to hit from the outside makes him a matchup nightmare, especially when opposing defenses are focused on stopping the other two go-to options in Denver.
He can also attack the rim off the bounce or score as a slasher, and his presence elevates Denver’s ceiling whenever he is on the floor.
At this point, the goal for the Nuggets is surely to have all their main pieces healthy and together in time for the playoffs. They are in third place in the Western Conference standings at 31-16 and have still largely played well even with Jokić out.
They are 8-4 in the last 12 games and have done more than just tread water, although keeping up that pace will be more difficult with Gordon no longer an option for more than a month.