The NBA team that went all-in at the trade deadline is emerging as a big threat to the Lakers
- The Nuggets made a big trade for Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline to go all-in.
- The Nuggets are 3-0 with Gordon, beating playoff teams, and easily outscoring opponents.
- Gordon gives the Nuggets all-around play and elevates them into the contender conversation.
It has only been three games, but the Denver Nuggets trade for Aaron Gordon looks like the best move of the trade deadline.
The Nuggets traded starting shooting guard Gary Harris, rookie R.J. Hampton, and a first-round pick to the Orlando Magic for Aaron Gordon, a skilled combo forward.
Gordon isn't a household name or even a borderline All-Star, but he's a talented, two-way forward many in the NBA world believe has room to grow. The move gave the Nuggets the type of athletic, defensive presence they had been missing at forward this season since the free-agency departure of Jerami Grant.
The trade was seen as a sort of all-in move by the Nuggets to capitalize on Nikola Jokic's MVP-caliber season and the open field that is the Western Conference. Doubts persist about the LA Clippers' chemistry and whether rising teams like the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns have enough talent to compete in the biggest postseason moments.
More importantly, the move looked like the Nuggets taking aim at the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James is out with a sprained ankle. Anthony Davis hasn't played since early February with Achilles tendinosis. Both are expected back for the playoffs, but by then, the Lakers may not even have home-court advantage.
Gordon has fit right in with the Nuggets
The early results are encouraging for Denver: the Nuggets are 3-0 with Gordon in the lineup, with wins over playoff teams in the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and LA Clippers.
While it's a small sample size, the Nuggets' new starting five of Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr., Gordon, and Jokic has outscored opponents by 48 points in 64 minutes together. The starting five has an offensive rating of 132.3 and a defensive rating of 94.3, meaning they are outscoring opponents by a whopping 38 points per 100 possessions.
Gordon has always been a bit of a tricky player to pin down. On talent-bereft teams in Orlando, Gordon perhaps leaned too hard on becoming a ball-dominant playmaker and scorer. Some of it was forced upon Gordon, who never played with an elite point guard, but some of it was also Gordon trying to become something he isn't.
But Gordon is a talented enough passer, playmaker, cutter, shooter, and defender that he could thrive playing next to players who can do all of those things better than him.
That's his role in Denver.
Jokic and Murray are the primary ball-handlers. Porter Jr. is a rising star who has an explosive scoring ability. Gordon can weave his versatile skill set around those players and dictate his game to what's needed.
He's already shown a knack for cutting into open space where Jokic can find him.
And Gordon as a cutter and secondary playmaker should make the Nuggets' offense hum.
For a player who has never risen to an All-Star level (and likely won't on a more talented Denver roster), Gordon stands to make a big impact. He gives the Nuggets a big-bodied forward capable of matching up with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. He can score in pinches, keep the ball moving, and make defenses at least pay attention to him on the perimeter. He also gives them a level of athleticism that they've never had before.
The Nuggets have a chance to continue to climb the standings. They're currently in fifth place, with the same record as the Lakers. But Denver has the ninth-easiest schedule remaining in the NBA, according to Tankathon. Moving into the top two should be a goal for the Nuggets to get a home-court advantage through the first two rounds of playoffs when they could face the Lakers or the Clippers.
"I see no limits for this team. We have all the pieces we need," Gordon told reporters upon landing with Denver. "As long as we're all working together, there's no stopping us."