Denver Nuggets: The impact of Aaron Gordon can’t be overstated

Denver Nuggets Aaron Gordon (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Denver Nuggets Aaron Gordon (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
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Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets Michael Porter Jr. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

A Denver Nuggets’ rewind

Let’s rewind for a hot second. Last season, the Nuggets made an unfathomable run through the bubble. They came back from the dreaded 3-1 deficit against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. Murray and Jokic combined for nearly 60 points a night in the series.

Then they fell to 3-1 against the at worst top-two favorite to make it out of the West in the LA Clippers. They were down 20+ at some point during Game 6. Seemingly a death sentence. Naturally, they overcame the deficit of both that game and the series. No one had ever come back from 3-1 twice, but the Nuggets showed resilience that a lot of those watching (including the narcissist feeling the need to mention himself writing this piece) did not think they had.

And yeah. They lost in five to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. A bit of a trampling after their miraculous route to the Western Conference Finals. But they showed that they have the stuff. And they plan on exacting revenge on the West in these upcoming playoffs. Let’s take a look at what they lost and what they gained.