After a campaign in which he played just 36 games due to recurring injuries, Aaron Gordon appears poised to bounce back. 

Gordon has been one of the Denver Nuggets' biggest standouts in preseason so far, most recently erupting for a team-high 25 points in Sunday's 133-128 win over the Chicago Bulls.  

Entering his 13th year in the NBA, the 31-year-old looks good, healthy, and back to being himself as his minutes continue to ramp up alongside the other starters. 

Nuggets head coach David Adelman spoke about his starting power forward's progress after the game in Chicago: "[Gordon] has the confidence to explode more consistently. 

"There were times last year when it felt like he was trying to protect himself. He'd rather use his body than his athleticism to jump and go get the ball. Seeing it more and more, there is more confidence to go and do that." 

Gordon's game has improved significantly in recent years, particularly since he developed a reliable three-point shot. 

His offensive swagger was on full display against the Bulls—especially in the third quarter, when he poured in 13 points. 

Gordon did a bit of everything on that stretch, draining a couple of triples, burying a turnaround fadeaway midrange jumper, and getting to the cup for a dunk. He also knocked down 4-of-4 free throws. 

"I'm not a doctor, but it seems like he feels good," Adelman added. "It was good to see him make that third-quarter run confidently, not because he was making shots, but I just thought he played with some good pace... That was really good to see." 

Though this performance was by far Gordon's best this offseason, he has looked extremely sharp from Day 1. 

He demonstrated his feel-good when he dropped 12 points in 10 minutes in Denver's preseason opener against Utah. He followed it up with 18 points in 15 minutes in the second game against the Jazz. 

Gordon is shooting a red-hot 67 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc — a very positive sign for the Nuggets. 

Gordon being key to the Nuggets' success is no revelation. 

His two-way ability is priceless in the modern game. He can lock down the opposing team's bigs and switch while delivering consistent offensive production every night. Denver needs him at 100 percent to have any shot at competing for another title. 

Even in an injury-hampered year, he still averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds last term, shooting 38.9 percent from three. The Nuggets know that at his best, he elevates them to another level. 

In the 2023 Finals, when Denver beat Miami to win its first championship, Gordon averaged 14 points, 7.4 rebounds, and three assists in 35.7 minutes per game. He shot 55.6 percent from deep and 60.4 percent from the field. With a +12.2 plus-minus per game, he was the ultimate difference-maker, and Denver needs him to keep being that. 

Gordon has led the Nuggets in scoring in two of their three preseason games to date, and he will look to do it again when they return to action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.