Aaron Gordon is day-to-day with a rest issue and will sit out Denver's preseason finale against the Lakers on Friday. The Nuggets have set Oct. 22 as his target return date.
What happened
The Nuggets listed Aaron Gordon as day-to-day for rest on Friday's injury report, filed at 9:22 p.m. ET, with no previous designation attached. Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports that Gordon will not play in Friday's preseason finale against the Lakers. The report lists the issue only as rest, with no body part specified. Gordon had already been cleared from an earlier day-to-day designation for a left calf issue on Sep. 13, so this is a separate, rest-related absence rather than a lingering injury.
What it means for the Nuggets
Denver closes the preseason Friday night at the Lakers, a game airing on ESPN, with Gordon unavailable. Last season Gordon averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 27.9 minutes across 36 games. Without him on the floor, Denver has leaned on Jamal Murray (35.4 minutes, 25.4 points), Nikola Jokic (34.8 minutes, 27.7 points), Christian Braun (31.8 minutes, 12.0 points) and Cameron Johnson (30.5 minutes, 12.2 points), with Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Spencer Jones also seeing extended run. The Nuggets have not played a regular-season game yet this season, so there is no record to measure with or without Gordon.
What to watch
Gordon's next official listing will come on Denver's following injury report. The team has set Oct. 22 as his target return date. Until then, he is expected to remain day-to-day as the Nuggets manage his workload through the close of the preseason. Julian Strawther (left knee) and Spencer Jones (hamstring) are also listed on Denver's report, though neither issue is related to Gordon's absence.
Is Aaron Gordon playing vs the Lakers?
No. Gordon is day-to-day with a rest issue and will not play in Friday's preseason finale against the Lakers, per the injury report.
When will Aaron Gordon be back?
The Nuggets have set Oct. 22 as his target return date. No further timetable has been announced.