https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7085944/2026/03/04/denver-nuggets-aaron-gordon-injury-season-prospects/?source=emp_shared_article

Per a league source close to Gordon, the veteran forward — who re-aggravated his right hamstring injury on Jan. 23 — is targeting a return in Friday’s home game against the New York Knicks. It remains to be seen if he’ll get the necessary clearance from the Nuggets, who are being understandably cautious here in light of the setback he suffered six weeks ago.

Gordon missed 19 games earlier this season with the hamstring injury, then pulled up lame on a routine rebound against the Milwaukee Bucks in his 10th game back and has been sidelined ever since. As such, there is clearly a high level of concern and care being exercised about his return. With the postseason still more than a month away, and the Nuggets (38-24; fifth in the Western Conference) having lost 11 of their last 20 games while also enduring the extended absence of another pivotal player in Peyton Watson (hamstring), the stakes of this choice are incredibly high.

Huntermainlol | Timberwolves

50 | 5 hours ago

I know they need to stop the bleeding but man, I’d rather enter the postseason as a low seed fully healthy than a high seed banged up. Hamstring strains are also incredibly easy to retweak

kakyointhedonutman | Nuggets

43 | 4 hours ago

He has to play sometime. It’s been 6 weeks, which was about the upper end of the timeline for reevaluation and return. There’s always the nagging risk of re-injury, but the team has to get time to run plays together with the full lineup and get rotations established before playoffs time

lethalizered | Thunder

21 | 4 hours ago

Yeah, you can’t put the man in a bubble wrap.

He also needs game conditioning before the playoffs begin.

Even_Tangerine_4201

8 | 4 hours ago

I’m sure the nuggets are thinking the same thing we are all thinking. But boy I really hope they are exercising as much caution as possible. Of course Jokic is the engine of it all, but he is as essential to their success as Draymond was to the Warriors.

20secondpilot | OKC

4 | 4 hours ago

Totally agreed, but the Nuggets have handled their injuries really poorly going back to last season. Makes me worried for Gordon’s long term health

clockwork_purple2

2 | 4 hours ago

Gotta build chemistry as a team

cgio0 | Lakers

3 | 4 hours ago

Yea, like isn’t that what they basically did when they won the championship?

Jokic basically took like ¹⁄₃ of a step back let Embiid win the MVP but then Jokic crushed it in the playoffs

probablymade_thatup | Bucks [MIL] Luke Kornet

1 | 12 minutes ago

They better keep him on a minutes restriction for real this time.

Revenesis | Knicks

22 | 5 hours ago

I want him healthy but couldn’t he just take the weekend off?

SheriffHarryBawls

16 | 4 hours ago

It’s difficult to see via stats just how much this dude does for nuggets. They need him fresh for playoffs. He pulls that hamstring again and nuggets title odds are 0

Kertia

10 | 4 hours ago

He needs to play but they need to manage his minutes better. They need to do the wemby minutes restriction for him. No B2Bs also. Hes too crucial for them to just throw him into the fire.

Jimbob3498 | Bucks

6 | 4 hours ago

His minutes have been down for the previous 2 regular seasons tbf - at under 30 mins. He was at around 37 in the playoffs last year though.

DJ_Red_Lantern | 76ers

8 | 5 hours ago

God I hope Gordon can stay healthy. Nuggets better not be rushing him back right now.

thestereo300 | Timberwolves

7 | 3 hours ago

Dude is super important to what they do.

Harleytk24 | Lakers

3 | 4 hours ago

Nuggets need to wrap this man in up in bubble wrap before the playoffs

TheRavenOnline

2 | 5 hours ago

He may not be their best player but Aaron Gordon is the Nuggets most valuable player. He is that team’s engine. Without him they can’t contend.

Raven-19x | Spurs

7 | 5 hours ago

No, that still belongs to Jokic.

Lstark5642 | Thunder

10 | 4 hours ago

I get what you’re saying, but Jokic has been back and even when he has had a fantastic game it’s been hard for them to win because the defense without Gordon simply isn’t good enough.

Maybe instead of most valuable, the term to use is that Aaron Gordon is the X-factor because them winning and losing seems to lie heavily on his defensive effort.

ilikekittens2018 | Nuggets

5 | 4 hours ago

This is a good way to put it. It really hasn’t helped that Pwat who is a similar player to Gordon with a bit less size also got injured right before this tough stretch. We were hanging on with him but with literally all of our forwards out (now Spencer Jones and Cam are injured as well) it’s kinda impossible to expect wins against good teams.

Colorado_designer | Nuggets

4 | 4 hours ago

Bingo. Jokic is the MVP but with their team construction they aren’t winning shit without Gordon. He was the one who unlocked their ceiling when he first got traded to DEN.

runevault | Nuggets

1 | an hour ago

The way I look at it, without Jokic this team winning a title is a pipe dream. But we need AG to make it a reasonable chance.

ntpbr1

3 | 4 hours ago

I mean sure but what are they doing without Jokic or even Murray? They can do anything but contend. They would miss the play-ins without Jokic and I don’t think its a debate

TheRavenOnline

-5 | 4 hours ago

Without Jokic and everyone else (including Gordon) available they’d probably have around the same record they do now (38-24, 5th-6th in west). But without Jokic and Gordon they’d probably miss the play-in. With both Jokic and Gordon they’re probably the 3rd best team in the west behind OKC and SA.

EatingLoudly

7 | 4 hours ago

Around a similar record without jokic is a psychotic take

TheRavenOnline

1 | 3 hours ago

I mean they won 10 out of 16 without Jokic they’re not contenders without Jokic but they’re 100% still a playoff team without him.

EatingLoudly

3 | 2 hours ago

Theyre definitely closer to like the trailblazers or clippers

Jack_The_Sparrow_ | Warriors

3 | 4 hours ago

I don’t want to get carried away, but I’d be shocked if the Nuggets ever lose again with him back

smalls_1804 | Knicks

2 | an hour ago

I swear every team magically gets healthy for us

Gristle__McThornbody | Lakers

1 | 4 hours ago

He’ll be back tomorrow.

Difficult_Tackle9505

1 | 4 hours ago

They should rest him for another week or two

Steelers7589 | Nuggets

1 | 4 hours ago

Minutes restriction for the love of god

Proper-Dirt3954

1 | 3 hours ago

Minutes restriction and no b2bs for a couple weeks a pray. I want to see a healthy nuggets playoff run.

Savings-Bag7041

1 | 3 hours ago

45 games left in the Nuggets 2025-2026 campaign, he can ramp up gradually over the first 20 games.

survivaltactics2

1 | an hour ago

i dont know what nba you’re watching but there are 20 games left in the season my man

Savings-Bag7041

1 | 38 minutes ago

They got 16 wins to secure after the reg season my man 😎

bball62 | Cavaliers

1 | 3 hours ago

He must not know they‘re playing the Dr. Lakers the day before

theeternalcowby | Lakers

1 | 2 hours ago

Absolutely SHOCKED this doesn’t say Thursday at home against the Lakers.

_Jetto_ | NBA

1 | 25 minutes ago

If he’s not even 90-% don’t play him. It’s better to be 4th seed and healthy then try to get top 2 and be banged up

[Amick] Per a league source close to Gordon, the veteran forward — who re-aggravated his right hamstring injury on Jan. 23 — is targeting a return in Friday’s home game against the New York Knicks.