Anthony Edwards’ gaze strayed to the box score and the detailed narrative of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 4 defeat to the Denver Nuggets as he rose to leave the press conference platform. 

The league’s top defense had just been completely dismantled by the defending champs. It was brutal. methodical. Denver had managed to salvage an even series out of a near catastrophe by producing shot after superb shot. Edwards started to turn away from everything, but his head kept turning back to the scoreboard.

He shook his head and muttered, “Aaron Gordon.” Gordon was one of the league’s most extraordinary talents, so much so that his contribution looked unbelievable. Not only did he score 27 points, which is more than any other Timberwolf save Edwards, but he also shot almost perfectly, handled the pressure of the situation, and scored from a great distance. 

Teams like Minnesota put a lot of effort into trying to slow down Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, and Gordon is frequently the one who has to pay the price. Teams are broken by his finest performances. After the game, Michael Malone, the head coach of the Nuggets, stated, “Nikola’s going to do what he does: 35, seven, and seven.” “However, Aaron is currently expected to do a lot in terms of offense, playmaking, shooting, physicality, and defense on two All-Stars.” And Gordon is delivering in a ton of different ways.

It’s hard to pinpoint Gordon’s precise involvement in these Nuggets. In Denver, almost everything passes through Jokic. Murray mostly utilizes his advantages. The identities of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr. However, Gordon’s function alternates between expansion and contraction all the time, going beyond the requirements of a match to suit the exigencies of the present. 

Gordon needs to play to the periphery of the attack at times for the Nuggets. With brilliance and without complaint, he performs. At other times, like in Game 4, they were better off giving the ball to Gordon and relying on the seasoned forward to run the point instead of Murray. Gordon assists the Nuggets in keeping up with the rapid changes in postseason basketball.

That’s the advantage of having a role player who is overqualified and supercharged and who can always do more. Throughout his career, Gordon has focused on improving his skills while reducing his role, which has made him one of Denver’s most dynamic players and a potential energy source that is only waiting to be used. Gordon is the one who permits the Nuggets to think beyond the box. He is capable of running every playbook set from every position. With the ball, he can start an offensive or just keep it going. He makes lineups viable because he can handle even the most difficult defensive duties, like Edwards.

He states, “In basketball, there are only two positions: on the floor and off the floor.” “Plus, I enjoy lying on the ground.”

Although Gordon isn’t the Nuggets’ best player by any means, he is the team’s main facilitator. Without Gordon’s ability to perform as a primary backup center in addition to his many other talents, Denver would not have been the champions the previous season. In Game 4, with Jokic off the court and the Nuggets clinging to a five-point lead, the most recent iteration of that unit was put to the test.

What came next was a master class: three minutes of Denver’s trademark precise, artistic basketball, minus the three-time MVP who usually makes it possible. This time, Gordon was the one spinning into the lane, finding a teammate for a layup, power-posting his way inside and spraying out to a shooter for a three, and seizing the opportunity to march all the way to the hoop given by the mismatch in front of him. Jokic was back on the court, but by then, Gordon and his teammates had stretched the margin to nine points. Denver went on to win 115-107, a margin of victory that might decide the series, by eight.

Gordon states, “I don’t give a shit if I have zero points or a hundred points.” “As long as we win, I’m out there influencing the game, talking to my team, and we’re cohesive, it doesn’t matter.” As his teammates would attest, Gordon is really the glue that holds the Nuggets together. His total lack of self-importance. The way he holds individuals accountable while yet encouraging them. 

His readiness to take on more or do less. Someone like this is necessary to win a championship in an effective manner—a role player who is too good for their position but not too great. Porter claims, “He’ll score if we need him to.” “He’ll pass if we need him to.” Gordon will then let it all go after doing whatever is necessary.

A great deal of NBA players cling to the security of routine and the knowledge that their opportunities will present themselves. Gordon, to be honest, doesn’t desire that luxury; he is too flexible for it. He has the opportunity to provide the Nuggets with exactly what they need each time he on the floor. All he needs to do is log on, start working, and see what that might be.