"Don't let them off the hook": Inside Aaron Gordon's attack-first mindset

Michael Malone reinforced the same message to Aaron Gordon during timeouts, breaks in the action, and at nearly every stoppage throughout the Nuggets’ Friday night matchup vs. the Bulls: “Don’t let them off the hook.”

Essentially, Malone was challenging Gordon to stay aggressive at all costs. At every turn, he wanted Gordon attacking the basket.

“He was just telling me to be aggressive, get to the cup,” Gordon said. “Use my body to my advantage, use my strength, what I’ve been gifted with it. Don’t settle for jumpers unless I have to.”

Gordon’s jumper was cooking against Chicago. He went 1-2 from 3-point range and converted an array of midrange shots, including a pair of fourth-quarter fadeaway jumpers from the left side of the floor that kept the Nuggets’ in their 114-108 loss until the game’s final possessions.

But Gordon’s the best version of himself when he keeps his radar lock on the rim. Denver scored points on each of these seven Gordon possessions from Friday where the forward used his 6-foot-8, 235-pound frame to bully and overpower his matchup on the way to the basket.

Gordon registered eight total drives vs. the Bulls, per NBA.com tracking data. He shot 4-5 from the floor on those possessions leading to 14 Nuggets points.

On the season, Gordon is shooting 67.9% on drives. It’s the No. 1 mark in the NBA of the 139 players who have recorded at least 50 drives so far this year.

Gordon’s attack-first mindset has to be front and center to his game, especially with Nikola Jokic out of the lineup. Jokic missed Denver’s loss to Chicago with a sprained right wrist and is questionable for tonight’s matchup in Phoenix. Malone said on Friday that Jokic will return when he’s ready.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it; life without Jokic is unsettling. He’s the Nuggets identity on offense. He’s the hub of everything Denver does on that end of the floor. If he misses more games, the Nuggets have to keep forging a new offensive way of life without him.

That new identity centers around Will Barton, who poured in 23 points on 9-16 shooting, and his shotmaking and Gordon attacking the basket. Gordon also played center for the first time this season vs. Chicago, and it feels like a look the Nuggets will go back to if Jokic misses more time. Rebounding will likely be an issue in a small-ball lineup, and the Bulls out-rebounded the Nuggets 50-38 Friday. Chicago corralled 17 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points.

Still, it might be Denver’s best chance to steal a win without the MVP in the lineup. A small-ball, five-out approach with Gordon at center where the Nuggets can play to their speed and athleticism could be Denver’s best path forward.

Gordon scored a season-high 28 points on 10-12 shooting vs. Chicago — his most efficient offensive game since joining Denver at last season’s trade deadline.

It’s repeatable if Gordon keeps attacking the rim. That’s when he’s at his best.

“That’s the Aaron Gordon that we all know. That’s why he’s here with us,” PJ Dozier said. “We know that he’s capable of that night in night out. When he has that mindset, that mentality to go out and do that, we’re such a better team. I feel like he takes us to the next level.”