Aaron Gordon is the key for the Nuggets in this series

Since Jamal Murray’s knee injury, Nikola Jokic has continued to prove why he is going to be this year’s MVP and Michael Porter Jr. has also stepped up, but Aaron Gordon is the guy that should have all eyes on him. He is the key for the Nuggets moving forward not only because he can give them some key scoring down the stretch-run of games, but because he is a very underrated defender. 

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Gordon is not known for being a great one-on-one defender, but given his athleticism and size, he can frustrate a lot of players, including Damian Lillard. In Game 2, Gordon shaded Lillard on some possessions and on those possessions that he was guarding Lillard, Aaron Gordon was really getting in the head of Dame because of his length and athleticism to contest every one of Lillard’s shots. 

Moving forward into Games 3 and 4 in Portland, Lillard is going to get to his spots and make his shots, but if Gordon can continue to find success and frustrate the Trail Blazers’ star, then Denver could steal a game back on the road. 

Not only is Gordon’s defense going to be key in this series moving forward, but his ability to scor has also been valued. He scored 16 points in Game 1 and 13 points in Game 2, which is a good sign for the Nuggets. 

They have been waiting for Gordon to be a high-level scorer since they traded for him at the trade deadline this year and if he can rattle off some solid offensive performances moving forward, then Denver will be in a very good place in this series.