Aaron Gordon is away from the Nuggets and out indefinitely after suffering lacerations to his face and hand resulting from a dog bite that occurred on Christmas.
The incident happened after Gordon tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Nuggets 120-114 Christmas Day win over the Warriors and while he was with family and friends later that night.
Nuggets players learned of the news at practice on Wednesday.
“I texted with him a little bit,” Michael Malone said. “He’s hanging in there. Obviously, a very traumatic experience and the most important thing I told him is you take as much time as you need.”
Gordon will be away from the team while he recovers and Denver isn’t putting a firm timetable on when he’ll return to the lineup.
“Right now it’s open-ended. We’re not going to put any pressure on him,” said Malone regarding how long Gordon will be out. “We need him to heal inside and out. Going through something like that is not something you come back from easily. That’s something where you have to heal from the physical, but you also have to heal from the mental and what you just went through.”
“We want him back. We know we’re better off with him. But I want to support Aaron Gordon and make sure when he comes back, he’s ready to come back and play at the level he’s capable of.”
The Nuggets are about to begin a three-game homestand. Denver hosts Ja Morant and Memphis on Thursday, Oklahoma City on Friday, and Charlotte at Ball Arena on Monday.
In the four games Gordon has missed so far this season, the Nuggets have adjusted their starting lineup by moving Michael Porter Jr. from starting small forward to power forward and inserting veteran Justin Holiday into their first five.
Malone didn’t reveal on Wednesday what his starting lineup will look like without Gordon, but it seems likely that he initially opts for that alignment again.
The Nuggets are 4-0 this season without Gordon with wins over the Spurs, Clippers, Rockets, and Suns.
Gordon was obviously an integral piece to the Nuggets’ championship run last season and his absence will leave a hole in Denver’s rotation. Peyton Watson, who’s in the middle of a breakout season, will likely see an increase in minutes.
The Nuggets will also need consistent production from backup centers Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan without Gordon in the lineup. Malone won’t have the option to go to Gordon at backup center, which he occasionally does in the second halves of close games.
Reggie Jackson, who was dealing with a slight injury against the Warriors, is expected to play Thursday vs. the Grizzlies. Malone said Jackson’s injury wasn’t serious.
On the season, Gordon is averaging 13.6 points (52.5 FG%, 25 3P%), 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. Since returning from that four-game absence in late November, which Malone said was due to a plantar fascia issue in his foot, Gordon’s production has picked up.
“I think he’s one of the more underrated players in the league,” Malone said.
“We have his back. We love him and we’re here for him. Whenever he’s able to come back, we’re going to open our arms up and embrace him.”
