Renck: Is this Aaron Gordon’s last stand for Nuggets? Could be if Denver loses to Clippers

Jump. Finish. Swish.

There is Aaron Gordon after practice, smiling, making baskets. He can’t miss. It is a reminder of how much he will be missed.

The Nuggets face the Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and this feels like Gordon’s last stand. That’s all there is to say, if being truthful.

There is no doubt that the Nuggets will undergo significant changes this offseason if they fail to reach the Western Conference Finals. They cannot exit early and run it back. And that leaves Gordon as the most valuable chess piece in a reboot.

It is not his fault. It’s nothing he did. It is because of everything he does and who he is. And his contract. Social media sprouts with daily ideas of how the Nuggets can ship out Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in a makeover.

The ideas conveniently leave out two things: health and money. Murray’s $207.8 million max contract kicks in beginning next season with a $46.3 million salary in 2025. Though only 28 years old, he hasn’t played more than 67 games since 2018. This year, because of a forgettable first two months, he shot 39.3% from 3, his lowest mark since 2019.

Playoff Jamal is a thing. But is it enough for an acquiring team to mortgage its future for a player who has never made an All-Star Game?

It is well established that Porter has overcome long odds to play in the NBA, given his back issues. But it is also permanently established that he is maddeningly inconsistent and, when not making 3s, disappears for long stretches. That is not an opinion. It is what is on film. And seeing that, will a suitor, already wondering if he will pass a physical, want the $79.1 million remaining on his max deal?

So it circles back to Gordon. He has $103.6 million coming starting next season, but the third year of his contract is a player option. His deal is as flexible and friendly as the man himself.

This is why Aaron Gordon could become Gone Gordon.

It would be a darn shame, given what he means to this team.

Gordon, if he stays on the court, will be the reason the Nuggets advance to the second round. Assuming Nikola Jokic and Murray — especially Murray — show up and show out, Gordon is the secret sauce in the Big Mac.

He pulls it all together.

“You want to be that glue,” he told The Denver Post last month.

Even sabotaged by a calf issue that limited him to 51 games, Gordon improved his shooting dramatically. He was so bad from beyond the arc last postseason, the Lakers and Timberwolves didn’t bother guarding him.

He has morphed from a liability to an asset, jumping from 29% to 46% on 3-pointers. His free-throw accuracy has spiked as well (65.8% to 81%).

“You can really put him anywhere on the court. He is a matchup problem on the post. An all-around threat. And over the course of the season, he has gotten better and better,” Murray said. “Watching him shoot right now, it’s easy to see those 3s going in during the game.”

While Michael Malone understood Gordon’s importance, his insistence on overusing Russell Westbrook even when the team was healthy left the forward lost. Since March 9, he’s had four games in which he scored seven points or fewer. He had five in Malone’s last game, his uninspired effort a reflection of the team’s in a 125-120 home loss to the Pacers.

Since David Adelman took over, Gordon is back, fitting better, playing with more intent. He is averaging 24 points, and doing all the things that he must for the Nuggets to upset the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard’s knee is no longer a topic. Which means he will be a pain in the (bleep) for the Nuggets. The Clippers boast an 18-3 record over their past 21 games. Leonard is averaging 25 points during this run.

Time for Gordon to scrap vs. The Klaw.

“Aaron is one of those rare human beings who can match up with the size of a guy like that. It doesn’t mean you are always going to stop him, but at least you feel like you have a matchup where you don’t have to commit two people to the ball,” Adelman said. “It’s going to be a team challenge. If we want to switch up our defenses with Aaron, then other people have to step up.”

After getting their coach fired, in large part, for listless defense, the onus is on the Nuggets to match the Clippers’ intensity. Play every possession. Not every other quarter.

This kind of effort will free Gordon to slide onto center Ivica Zubac or challenge James Harden on screen-and-rolls. Denver cannot beat the Clippers without Gordon at his best.

And if the Nuggets lose, leaving unfinished business on the table, it’s easy to see why this series could be Gordon’s last.

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