The Bench Passed Its Preseason Test; Gordon's Health Still Hasn't
Denver's beat reporters are crediting camp depth for a stabilized second unit, but the club's own injury log still leaves Aaron Gordon's status open.
This week's coverage of the Nuggets settled on a theme: Denver's reserves looked steadier in two preseason games than anyone expected. Set against the team's own roster and injury report, that theme holds up better for the bench than it does for Aaron Gordon.
What the second unit proved
Mile High Sports's Ryan Blackburn wrote that Denver's bench looked "stronger than expected" through two preseason games, then called a reserve lineup's preseason signs "positive" in a follow-up column. Nugg Love's David Decker went further, writing the revamped second unit "looks ready to weather" minutes without Jokic. The roster supports that read: last season's Valanciunas-Hardaway Jr.-Murray-Brown-Watson five posted a +17.5 net rating over 96 minutes, the kind of group both outlets are describing coming back in new form entering a season where Denver can't easily buy more depth.
Gordon's health still frames the math
Decker also wrote that Gordon "keeps the wheels turning for Nuggets" when healthy — a conditional, not a clearance. That hedge lines up with Denver's own injury report, where Gordon's designation has sat unresolved since mid-September with no update since. Nugg Love's Orel Dizon reported that Alpha Diallo's defense is easing the rotation decision, but easing a decision is not the same as replacing a $33.7 million starter.
Johnson and Strawther are the real depth answer
Nugg Love's Jordanna Clark wrote that early returns are already favoring Denver's decision to keep Cameron Johnson in the rotation, and Decker separately wrote that Julian Strawther is "taking the leap" the franchise has waited years to see. Johnson's $23.1 million deal and his 43.0 percent mark from three last season make him a reasonable return if the preseason trend holds. Strawther, on a far cheaper number, is the depth answer to Gordon's open question that Diallo's defense alone cannot be, no matter how much easier Diallo makes that call.
Is Aaron Gordon healthy for the start of the season?
Denver's injury report has not cleared Gordon since his designation turned unresolved in mid-September, and no clearance has been reported since.
How is the Nuggets' bench looking in the preseason?
Multiple beat reporters have called Denver's second unit stronger than expected through two preseason games, pointing to Cameron Johnson and Julian Strawther as early standouts.
