Aaron Gordon
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Aaron Gordon is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the New York Knicks.
Despite being dealt a flurry of injuries this regular season, the Denver Nuggets have stood strong in the Western Conference.
It seems as if everybody but Jamal Murray has missed significant time this season. Nikola Jokic suffered a knee sprain before the All-Star break, and Christian Braun has missed more than half this season while dealing with ankle issues. Peyton Watson, during his breakout year, has also been sidelined for multiple weeks with a hamstring strain.
Aaron Gordon has been another to add to the list while dealing with a lingering hamstring issue. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that the forward “is likely to make his return Friday” in Denver’s second half of a back-to-back against the New York Knicks.
Aaron Gordon’s Lingering Hamstring Issues
Gordon’s injury-riddled 2025-26 season began in late November. During the Nuggets’ Nov. 21 win over the Houston Rockets, he exited after just three minutes with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Denver wouldn’t get Aaron Gordon back in action until the turn of the year. He would return to the lineup on Jan. 4 and play in 10 games.
Then came a Jan. 23 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. Just 16 minutes into the game, Gordon would re-aggravate the same hamstring injury that resulted in 19 missed games.
Fast forward to today, and Gordon is likely to make his long-awaited return to the Nuggets’ lineup once again. The hope will be that he starts a pattern of several players getting healthy. Cam Johnson, Peyton Watson, and Spencer Jones are still recovering from injuries they have sustained.
It’s hard to imagine head coach David Adelman not putting Gordon on a minutes restriction. The hamstring issue that’s kept him out of 40 total games this season will be monitored moving forward.
The team’s latest injury report lists Gordon, Johnson, and Spencer Jones as questionable. Watson will sit out of this one but is close to returning. He will be re-examined later this week, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports.
Aaron Gordon’s Value to the Denver Nuggets
Since trading for Gordon in 2021, the Denver Nuggets have been more successful than ever before. He was a part of the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 2023, and has improved his numbers in every season since joining the team.
The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward brings value on both sides of the floor, consistent shooting ability, and has revamped his three-point shot to make him even more of a scoring threat for the Nuggets.
In the past two seasons, Gordon hasn’t been the healthiest. In 2024-25, he missed 31 total games with foot and calf issues, and this season has been highlighted by the hamstring strain.
Both Aaron Gordon and the Nuggets are hoping to push these setbacks to the side and finish strong in the final months of the 2025-26 season.
Denver currently sits as the No. 4 seed in the West. Since returning from the All-Star break, they have gone an even 4-4.
The Nuggets’ upcoming stretch of games will show how competitive they are as a contender. Denver plays the New York Knicks on Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder to begin the 21st week of the season, and will follow this up with games against the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Lakers.