Things are beginning to turn around for the Denver Nuggets, who have recovered nicely after a sluggish start to the season. After reaching the midway point of the season, the Denver Nuggets hold the fourth-best record in the West and are in striking distance of the Memphis Grizzlies for third place in the conference.
Part of their success has been the improvements made when playing without their best player. Given that Nikola Jokic is arguably the best player in the NBA, it's understandable that they often struggle when he heads to the bench. However, that trend has recently changed, with the Nuggets now winning their non-Jokic minutes.
That might not seem like a big deal, but it's huge for Denver. While the Nuggets only play an average of 12.4 minutes per game this season without Jokic, they have historically lost those minutes.
However, with them beginning to win those minutes, it makes them far tougher to beat, particularly with Jokic having one of the best on-court plus-minuses in the NBA. Denver being able to extend leads with their best player off the court is a game changer and due in part to Aaron Gordon.
The Denver Nuggets should consider bringing Aaron Gordon off the bench.
With Gordon out of the lineup, the Nuggets experimented with starting Russell Westbrook alongside Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., and Nikola Jokic. That lineup has had a lot of success, and so have the bench lineups that have featured Gordon since he returned from injury. In fact, they are 6-1 in and +46 in his minutes in the games that he's played since returning.
As a result, Denver Nuggets writer Harrison Wind proposes that Denver consider bringing Gordon off the bench as a super-sub full-time.
Nikola Jokic’s minutes in the Nuggets last 3 games (all blowout wins): 29, 31 and 30. That’s because the non-Jokic minutes are no longer a disaster, and the biggest reason why is Aaron Gordon has solidified the second unit. It’s the key to the second half of the season.
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 20, 2025
This has reached the point where I think Denver has to seriously consider making Aaron Gordon the sixth man.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) January 20, 2025
And in the playoffs, half of Gordon’s time off the bench can be at the 5. https://t.co/0eogm6m9hj
Given the Nuggets' struggles with depth at times this season, moving Gordon to the bench could help to solve some of those issues. He can play power forward and backup center in small-ball lineups but has been surprisingly effective playing alongside veteran big man De'Andre Jordan.
Gordon would still get to spend plenty of time playing alongside Jokic when he enters the game and could even still play around 25 minutes per game. However, keeping him with the second unit could be the key to the Nuggets winning those non-Jokic minutes that have historically plagued them.
That may not help them as much in the playoffs when Jokic's minutes on the court are likely to increase, giving Denver a competitive advantage since they often dominate when he's on the floor. But shoring up even the 10-12 minutes that he sits could make the Nuggets all the more difficult to stop. That could be possible if they move Gordon to the bench to bolster their second unit.