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Aaron Gordon had another strong year with the Nuggets in 2023-24. He played an integral role in Denver's starting lineup, which ranked second in the regular season according to net rating.
On offense, he filled the gaps admirably as a cutter and spacer in both the dunker spots and corners. He and Nikola Jokić's familiarity might be even better than ever. At one point in the season, Gordon joked that he and Nikola have a "mind meld" going on. Their alley-oop chemistry produced some of the finest highlights of the season.
On the other side of the floor, he remains one of the team's staunchest defenders, able to guard opposing star forwards at a top-tier level. Gordon's versatility has increased during his time in Denver, and he's even learned to man the center position in small-ball units with Jokić sits. Those lineups with Gordon at the five crushed in the regular season.
Highlights from AG's tenth NBA season
Gordon began the year with a bang on the Nuggets' Ring Night. He delivered 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in Denver's 119-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
He had a torrid November and reached double figures in ten consecutive games. In eight of those games, AG snagged at least 8 rebounds, and he recorded four of his 12 total double-doubles in this ten-game stretch.
The University of Arizona product had another double-double on Christmas Day with 16 points on 7-of-10 from the field and 10 rebounds in Denver's 120-114 win over Golden State.
The Warriors felt Gordon's wrath again just 10 days later when he finished with a season-high 30 points and 9 rebounds on January 4th.
Gordon was excellent in February and put up 10 or more points in twelve of thirteen games. During that stretch, he shot below 50 percent just once. February was highlighted by his 25-point and 15-rebound outing against the Sacramento Kings on the 14th.
The 28-year-old tallied a season-high 9 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 10th in a game that would eventually play a pivotal role in Denver's second-place finish in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets' starting power forward turned things up another level in the postseason. He scored double-digit points in three of Denver's five games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Gordon scored 29 points and snagged 15 rebounds against the Lakers in Game 3. Only one other player in Nuggets franchise history has tallied that many points and rebounds in a playoff game—Nikola Jokić—who did it on ten separate occasions. Elite company for Mr. Nugget.
AG was even better against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. He was a double-figure scorer in five of the seven games in the series, and in three of those outings, he notched at least 17 points.
Gordon had a historical night in Game 4 against the Timberwolves and filled the box score with 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He became the first player in NBA history to post at least 25 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals on 90 percent shooting in a single playoff game, per Stats Perform.
Gordon turned in a double-double two days later with 18 points and 10 rebounds, plus 5 assists, in Denver's 112-97 road victory over Minnesota in Game 5.
Key stats from Gordon's 2023-24 season
Gordon ranked sixth in the NBA in total dunks with 171.
He and Jokić were the NBA's best dunk tandem. Jokić assisted on 81 of Gordon's dunks, which paced the league.
He shot 70 percent near the rim for the fourth consecutive season. He's never been below 70 percent at the basket as a Nugget.
With 171 dunks and 40 made threes, Gordon joined Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama, as the only players to make at least 150 dunks and 40 three-pointers in 2023-24.
AG was the NBA's best cutter according to points per possession for players with at least 100 cutting possessions.
The Nuggets outscored opponents by 4 points per 100 possessions with Gordon at center in the regular season.