5 reasons Denver Nuggets can still win 2021 NBA championship
By Kristen Wong
2. Nuggets have been great since the Aaron Gordon trade
The Nuggets never had a problem scoring buckets. Instead, what they lack this season is a stalwart defense. Before acquiring Gordon, Denver ranked 20th in defensive rating, trailing even the league-bottom Rockets, Pistons, and Cavaliers. Currently, Denver ranks twelfth in the league for defensive rating (111.4), between the Spurs and the Bulls. Considering almost all the other playoff hopefuls are ahead of them in defense, Denver still could use some improvement, but the team’s numbers are at least trending in the right direction.
Ever since the Gordon trade, the Nuggets have gone 17-5, and even those numbers don’t fully reveal how much Aaron Gordon’s presence has benefited both sides of the court. He’s a versatile defender who’s recording his second-best block rate of his career and is Denver’s best chance at guarding some of the high-scoring offensive teams in the postseason. Whereas Millsap’s age and physique have weakened his defensive abilities, Gordon’s youth, strength, and agility allows him to go shoulder for shoulder against LeBron’s drives to the rim or Luka’s crafty attempts to draw fouls.
After seven mediocre seasons with the Orlando Magic, the 25-year-old has grown into a lower-usage role at Denver yet has still made an immediate impact as an off-ball cutter this season. Gordon has proven he can anchor the Nuggets’ defensive unit while also scoring Jokic-assisted buckets in the paint to give Denver a real run for the title.