The former No. 4 NBA Draft pick in 2014, Aaron Gordon, cemented himself as a vital cog in the Denver Nuggets' frontcourt over the years — contributing significantly to their 2023 championship run.

Gordon's stock only rose in his absence last season. He mustered just 36 regular-season games — a career low — due to recurring hamstring injuries, and the Nuggets suffered as a result of not having their 'Swiss Army Knife' do-it-all power forward.

Entering the playoffs, Gordon was hit with a lingering calf problem that put a hard cap on his postseason minutes, causing him to miss three games in the Nuggets' first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Gordon's importance to the Nuggets' operation is arguably the biggest story heading into the new campaign. And the good news for the fans in Denver is that one of their favorites is eager to have a bounce-back year.

While on the floor in 2025-26, Gordon was a major weapon for the Nuggets. He averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on a solid 49.7 percent shooting from the field. The 38.9% he shot from three was a career-best, and the perimeter spacing it provided transformed the way Denver was able to play offensively. 

Gordon is one of those players who makes everyone around him better because he does a lot of things at a really high level consistently. He is a strong rebounder, an improving secondary playmaker, and a reliable scorer — all excellent complements to his ability to play lockdown defense. 

Because of the above, the Nuggets faithful will be delighted to hear that just under three weeks out from the beginning of training camp, Gordon is feeling good.

"It has been nice," he told local reporter Harrison Wind when asked about his offseason at a summer youth camp. "I did a lot of soul-searching and training. I got my mind right and my body right. I'm ready to go."

The Western Conference is stacked. Simply having Nikola Jokic on your team ensures a high floor, but it no longer guarantees a top-three seed. For that, 'The Joker' needs help. And with the off-season exit of emerging forward Peyton Watson, Gordon's availability becomes even more crucial.

Gordon turns 31 on Wednesday. In the middle of his physical prime, he has to show the Nuggets that they can rely on him again.

Gordon, Jokic, and Jamal Murray provide more than enough on both ends of the floor to be considered a 'Big 3'. But basketball isn't played on paper, and Gordon knows that. He sounds determined to get back on the hardwood and re-earn his stripes, putting on for the city that took him in with open arms.

"Denver has shown me love since the moment I got here," Gordon said. "I try to repay the favor by showing passion, playing my heart out, playing the game the way I know how to play, and being the person that my parents raised me to be."