AARON Gordon

Gordon's preseason minutes have climbed in stages. He opened with 12 points and 4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes in an October 4 loss to Utah, then followed with 18 points and 5 rebounds in 15.3 minutes in an October 6 win over the Jazz. His best outing came October 11 against Chicago: 25 points and 6 rebounds in 22.7 minutes in a win. Minutes dipped again October 14 against the Clippers — 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists in 13.9 minutes in a loss — before he sat out entirely on October 16 against the Lakers in a Denver win, playing zero minutes. The pattern points to the Nuggets staying deliberate with his workload before the games start to count toward the standings.

Gordon played 36 games last season for Denver, averaging 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks in 27.9 minutes. He shot 49.7 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three and 76.7 percent from the line, good for a true shooting mark of 62.0 percent on a 21.3 usage rate. His plus-minus sat at plus-7.6 for the season. Those shooting numbers were efficient production for a forward Denver leaned on in small-ball lineups and as a finisher around the rim. The sample ran only 36 games, missed time that is part of why the Nuggets have been cautious with his reps again this fall. That 2025-26 line remains the most recent full-season benchmark on his resume.

Gordon's final stretch of the 2025-26 season came in April. He had 23 points and 9 rebounds in a win over Portland on April 6, then 6 points and 6 assists in 22.3 minutes in a win over Memphis on April 8. Against Minnesota, Denver split a three-game sample with him on the floor: a 17-point, 8-rebound win on April 18, an 8-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist loss on April 20 in 36.9 minutes, and a 9-point, 1-rebound loss on April 25 in 23.2 minutes. Those five games were his last logged outings before the 2026-27 preseason got underway.

Gordon's injury log traces back to September 6, 2026, when he was listed day-to-day with a left calf and leg issue. He was cleared on September 14. A second day-to-day listing went up on October 17 for rest, and he was cleared again that same day. He currently carries no designation on Denver's injury report.

Gordon's name has come up twice this fall in Nuggets Notes roundups: an October 12 edition grouping him with DeRozan, Strawther and Diallo, and a September 14 edition pairing him with DeRozan and Jokic during preseason coverage. Neither roundup attached a specific trade proposal or injury claim to his name beyond listing him alongside those teammates in the broader notes.