"He's up for the challenge": Aaron Gordon is finding his niche

Oct. 29, 2021 was a date that had been circled on the Nuggets’ calendar ever since the NBA’s regular season schedule dropped in August. The Nuggets didn’t face the Mavericks and Luka Doncic over the final few months of last season after acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline, but the fifth Friday in October marked the first chance for Tim Connelly and his staff to watch Gordon against one of the players they brought him to Denver to guard.

Once the horn sounded at Ball Arena signaling the end of a dominant 106-75 Nuggets win, they had a lot to smile about.

Gordon helped hold Doncic to just 16 points on 5-18 shooting (1-4 from 3-point range) and set the tone in a matchup that was defined by Denver’s defense. The Nuggets limited the Mavs to 29.5% shooting from the field in the win, the fifth time in franchise history and first since 2009 that an opponent shot less than 30% against Denver. Through five games, the Nuggets have kept four of their opponents under 100 points.

Gordon’s defense on Doncic was exactly what the Nuggets’ front office envisioned when they surrendered a future first-round pick, their one-time franchise shooting guard Gary Harris and prized prospect RJ Hampton for the 26-year-old San Jose native last March. Gordon proved late last season that he’s an ideal defensive fit in the frontcourt next to Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. and shined at times in the postseason. But this meeting presented his next test. Doncic is someone the Nuggets know could dot their playoff path for seasons to come — another factor that played into their pursuit of Gordon.

Denver had watched and charted Gordon’s success against Doncic during his time in Orlando. Doncic shot only 16-50 (32%) when guarded by Gordon in five career faceoffs prior to Friday, according to NBA.com tracking data. The 27.8 FG% Doncic ended the night with and the 1-6 he shot when guarded by Gordon was about par for his previous matchups against the Nuggets’ forward.

He did an amazing job,” Jeff Green said of Gordon’s defensive work on Doncic. “He’s a guy who can guard 1-5. Literally, he can guard 1-5 with his size, his quickness, his ability to move his feet. He did a tremendous job tonight and he’s going to be big for us down the road. With teams like the Lakers, Dallas, he’s going to be a guy who we look at to guard the best player. And I think he’s up for the challenge.”

Guarding Doncic is a headache for any NBA defender. It’s not just about checking a 6-foot-7 generational scorer with a deadly step-back and the ability to get to any spot on the floor 1-on-1. You also have to navigate a pick-and-roll on what feels like every trip down the floor. Doncic ran the second-most pick-and-rolls in the NBA last season behind only Trae Young.

“Luka is in a million pick-and-rolls,” Michael Malone said. “And you have to have a mindset of, ‘I’m going to be into this guy. I’m going to chase him. I’m going to pursue him, and I’m going to really fight like hell to get back in front or at least get a rearview pursue contest.’ And I felt we had countless examples of that. Just kind of harassing him. Luka’s a great player.”

Here’s what Malone’s talking about.

In this third-quarter sequence, Gordon navigated around a Boban Marjanovic screen several feet beyond the 3-point arc, recovered to Doncic and contested his shot from the rear. It’s perfect defensive execution on Dallas’ bread and butter action.

By now, we know the impact Gordon can make as a defender. Last April, he had back-to-back standout defensive games guarding Ben Simmons and Kawhi Leonard. In the playoffs, Gordon had his signature moment to date in a Nuggets uniform when he pretty much told Denver’s coaching staff that he was switching onto Damian Lillard to start the third quarter after Lillard torched the Nuggets for 32 first-half points. Gordon held Lillard to 10 points on 2-9 shooting in the second half as Denver took Game 2 of the series.

“I think his goal should be to be an All-NBA defensive player,” Malone said of Gordon. “He has that within him. He can go out there and guard a Devin Booker. He can go out there and guard a Luka Doncic, a Damian Lillard. You’re not going to stop those guys. No one does. But I think Aaron has all the tools, physically, mentally to go out there and really be a serious candidate to be an All-NBA defensive player. That should be a goal of his. That should be a goal of ours to help him get there.”

Gordon revealed a lot about himself that night against Lillard. He called his shot, pointed out his target and followed through. Gordon also showed Malone and his teammates that he relishes those kind of defensive challenges. That desire to guard Lillard surely stuck with his coach. It’s the type of assertiveness that Malone loves and appreciates. He wants players to take ownership of their matchups and responsibilities. He’d rather a player tell him who he wants to guard than vice versa.

“The fact that he embraces that and wants that,” Malone said. “I think is tremendous.”

Malone gave Gordon the Doncic assignment to open the first quarter to try and prevent the Mavs’ offensive hub from finding a rhythm early. Doncic then shot 2-7 over the game’s first 12 minutes as the Nuggets’ starters quickly built a nine-point lead. It was a sign of things to come. Dallas tallied just 74 total points, the fewest points the Nuggets have allowed since Jan. 6 2016. The Nuggets currently have the 3rd best defense in the NBA and are allowing just 98 points per 100 possessions.

It’s groundwork Denver thinks is necessary to lay in order to have a successful season and playoff run. Denver isn’t worried about its offense — the Nuggets currently rank 23rd in Offensive Rating — and are confident it will eventually come around. Michael Porter Jr. breaking out of an early season shooting slump that has the forward shooting 35.9% from the floor and 29.4% from three to open the season would certainly help. Gordon and the Nuggets believe their defense is the first step to contention in June.

“When you have aspirations like we do, it starts with habits and it starts with moments,” Gordon told DNVR earlier this season. “It’s moments to moments. You dont get there overnight. It’s going to be a long grind. If we continue to put the work in, we’re going to get to where we want to go.”

Much like Game 2 vs. Portland, Gordon’s defensive performance against Doncic felt like a moment. It was one of his signature games throughout his short Nuggets tenure. Quietly, Gordon’s shooting 58.3% from the field, a mark that would smash his career-high field goal percentage if he kept it up for the entire season. Gordon has stayed efficient even though he’s converting on just 25% of his 3-pointers. How? He’s shooting 69.4% on two’s, the fifth-highest percentage in the NBA behind John Collins, Jarrett Allen, Richaun Holmes and Jokic.

But his defense is what really gets you excited because it’s clear how it will translate to a playoff environment. Denver will surely face Doncic or another Western Conference All-NBA caliber scorer in the playoffs, and the Nuggets know Gordon will embrace even the toughest defensive assignment. It’s a mindset that can help the Nuggets reach the lofty expectations they have this season. They’re expectations that Gordon isn’t afraid to speak on publicly.

Who’s the best team in the West?

I asked Gordon that question before the Nuggets’s season opener in Phoenix last week. Without any hesitation he offered a two word response.

“We are.”