The list of injuries to critical players around the league just keeps growing.
The Denver Nuggets’ starting power forward and glue guy, Aaron Gordon, is out with a Grade 2 strained right hamstring and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks, a story broken by ESPN’s Shams Charania and confirmed by the Nuggets.
Gordon did not play for Denver on Saturday night against Sacramento, and coach David Adelman said only that he expected Gordon to be out for “some time.”
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Gordon is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game, shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc, and pulling down 5.9 rebounds per game while playing a key defensive role for Denver. More than that, he’s the glue guy who just seems to be in the right place making plays for this team, and how much the Nuggets missed him was evident in the loss to the Kings.
The Nuggets are now without two starters for an extended period of time. Christian Braun will be out for at least another 3-5 weeks with a sprained ankle. That’s two critical defenders out for Denver, and it’s going to put a lot on their bench. The injuries have thrust Peyton Watson into a much larger role, and he has stepped up, averaging 14.8 points and seven rebounds per game, while shooting 58.1% from the floor, when asked to start this season. Spencer Jones also got a start for Denver in Sacramento, we’ll see if Adelman sticks with that.