How Aaron Gordon shifted into "warrior" mode vs. Bradley Beal and the Wizards

Aaron Gordon wasn’t supposed to suit up against the Wizards. After Gordon didn’t participate in shootaround Monday afternoon, Michael Malone was told by Nuggets team trainers that the pain Gordon was experiencing in his low back was too great and would likely prevent him from playing.

With a tough defensive assignment like former NBA scoring champion Bradley Beal on the docket, the cards were stacked against the Nuggets’ forward.

“A lot of guys in Aaron’s situation probably wouldn’t have played,” Malone said.

“He told me, ‘Let me give it a go. I’ll see how I feel.'”

I don’t think Gordon’s back bothered him much throughout the Nuggets’ third wire-to-wire win of the season. If it did, he did a great job hiding it. Gordon soared for a two-handed slam off a perfectly-timed cut and Nikola Jokic feed for Denver’s first basket of the game. He then got loose on a fastbreak late in the second quarter and converted a full-extension windmill off a Facu Campazzo poke-away.

“That’s Aaron Gordon at his finest,” said Malone.

With the Wizards’ rallying after Jokic’s fourth-quarter ejection, Gordon found a lane to the rim after discarding Daniel Gafford and put home a thunderous two-handed jam.

It wasn’t an exclamation point, but maybe a period placed on the end of the Nuggets’ 113-107 win. Denver led Washington by 33 points in the third thanks to one of the most dominant nights of Nikola Jokic’s career. The reigning MVP tallied 28 points (9-14 FG’s, 9-11 FT’s), 19 rebounds, and 9 assists in just 28 minutes and three-quarters of work but was ejected with 6:09 remaining in regulation after back-to-back technicals for arguing with officials following four consecutive no-calls that went against him.

Jokic is the first player in NBA history to post a 28-point, 19-rebound, 9-assist stat line in 30 minutes or less.

No player in NBA history has averaged at least 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in a season. Jokic’s current averages: 26.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.

“To be honest, I don’t think I deserved it,” Jokic said. “Especially an ejection. I just said, ‘Call a foul.’ Because I thought it was a foul.”

Here's the lead up and four-straight no-calls that resulted in Nikola Jokic's ejection tonight:

– Illegal screen by Beal in the backcourt
– Left elbow to the face from Bertans
– Kneed in the groin by Dinwiddie
– Gets tangled up with Dinwiddie while setting a screen pic.twitter.com/6xlstNTamu

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) December 14, 2021

When the final buzzer sounded Monday, it wasn’t a moment to rejoice. It was a moment to exhale.

I’ve rarely seen Jokic as dominant as he was against Washington. Ex-Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. walked up to Jokic pregame, exchanged pleasantries with the big man, and then kindly asked Jokic not to play last night. Unseld had the right idea because the Wizards didn’t have anything close to an answer for him. Gafford, who was Jokic’s primary defender Monday, picked up a T late in the third after a Jokic and-1, which I’d classify as a ‘Ref, what do you want me to do he’s just too damn good,’ technical foul.

Jokic crushed the Wizards’ spirit during a third quarter where he went for 14 points (5-5 shooting), 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. The game was over with the Nuggets up by 21 heading to the fourth after Jokic played the entire quarter. Then, Denver’s bench relinquished much of its lead, and the Nuggets’ starters were forced to eventually return.

With Jokic watching the last few minutes of the game from the locker room, Gordon and Monte Morris, who chipped in 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and zero turnovers, shifted into leading roles. Gordon’s clutch slam came at the tail end of a 39-minute night that he spent mainly chasing around Beal, who was held to just 19 points on 8-19 shooting. Beal did hand out 10 assists in the loss.

“It speaks to him being a warrior,” Malone said of Gordon playing through pain.

Gordon didn’t have a standout offensive night, but his outing spoke to the responsibility that’s been placed on his shoulders this season. He’s expected to be a focal point on the offensive end of the floor, exploit mismatches and be a menace in transition. Defensively, he’s tasked with guarding the opposition’s best player every single night.

It would be a taxing assignment for anyone.

“Well, Aaron’s only 26. I would hope that he has enough in the tank to finish out the game,” Jeff Green joked. “Aaron’s been tremendous. What he’s been giving us on both ends of the floor has been great.”

Gordon has proved that he’s the perfect fit in Denver. He’s a much better defender and a more efficient offensive player than Jerami Grant was with the Nuggets. He lifts Denver’s ceiling higher than Paul Millsap did even during his glory years without sacrificing the Nuggets’ floor.

If you think back to the trade the Nuggets pulled off at last year’s deadline, it currently looks like a fleecing. Gary Harris is in the midst of another disappointing season. RJ Hampton is a project and wouldn’t be a contributor in the playoffs this year. The 2021 first-round pick Denver gave up still probably kills Tim Connelly though.

But it was worth it.

We’re learning more and more about the type of competitor that Gordon is. He’s got guts. He’s tough as nails. No matter the matchup, no matter the defensive assignment, he’ll play through an injury because his team needs him.

“I think he’s really cementing himself among the best defenders in the NBA and one of the more complete players in the NBA,” Malone said.