This full-circle reunion between Nuggets Aaron Gordon and DeMar DeRozan could be a bond strong enough to win rings for their basketball brothers.
Talent alone can’t carry this Denver team to a championship. The Nuggets need a brotherhood so strong it makes them unbeatable.
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“I’ve known A.G. since he was a kid,” DeRozan said last week, after deciding Denver is the best place to take his 18th shot at winning his first NBA title.
When Beyoncé ruled the music charts shortly after the turn of this century, DeRozan was a prep legend who ruled the courts of Southern California.
“I was real close to (A.G’s older) brother. His brother was in the same high school class, playing against each other since he was young,” DeRozan recalled. “So I remember A.G. running around like a little kid … To see him grow up, make the league … Always had nothing but love and respect for A.G.”
The forever bond between the team’s new sixth man and a player so soulful he’s fondly called Mr. Nugget is Gordon’s late elder brother.
Denver Nuggets Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon joke around during a press conference on Nuggets Media Day at Ball Arena on Monday, Sept. 28, 2023. (Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Drew Gordon was tragically killed in a car accident during the spring of 2024, leaving behind a wife and three children at age 33.
Truth be known, A.G. hasn’t been the same player since he lost his big bro.
While there’s no arguing with the impact that nagging hamstring problems have had on Gordon’s effectiveness, I would humbly suggest the void left by a beloved family member has also nagged at a power forward who views the world with uncommon sensitivity and plays basketball with all his heart and soul.
While the presence of DeRozan can’t fill the void left by his late brother, having DeRozan on his side could foster some semblance of family warmth inside the Denver locker room for Gordon.
“I’ve been watching him since I was young, like 10 years old,” Gordon said. “He was that dude. DeMar DeRozan was that dude. He still is. All-time great. All-time bucket-getter. When things get stymied, he’s going to be able to score for us.”
While DeRozan was considering joining forces with Denver as a free agent, he reached out to A.G. Now that they’re teammates, DeRozan doesn’t hide his enthusiasm for this full-circle reunion, calling it “cool.”
Although not among the favorites, the Nuggets could win it all, because Nikola Jokic is the best hooper on the planet.
Yes, Joker will do Joker things. Grant him nothing more than good health, and Jokic will be in the MVP conversation from the opening tip to the final buzzer of the regular season.
While coach David Adelman’s shoulders and resume seem a little thin for the chip on his shoulder, I do believe he possesses the basketball acumen to relieve the relentless burden on that two-man game between Jamal Murray and Jokic that has dulled the shine of both stars in the playoffs.
But the key to how much noise Denver makes in the postseason comes down to two main factors that aren’t exactly a secret.
No. 1: Gordon can’t be a broken-down shell of himself when it’s winning time in April, May and June.
And No. 2: DeRozan must be the answer to the cover-your-eyes-and-pray strain that has been caused by watching the Nuggets bench wreck leads on the scoreboard for far too long.
“Last I checked, even last year I was still getting double- and triple-teamed all season,” said DeRozan, supremely confident in his ability to score the ball at age 37. “So you’ve still got to honor it. I can still score and play-make with the best of them.”
Anyone with a working knowledge of basketball knew there was zero logical reason for the Nuggets to make a major alteration to their starting five with the arrival of DeRozan.
Despite being a ghost of himself during the opening-round loss to Minnesota, Christian Braun remains the complementary piece that fits best as the starter at shooting guard. If the bounce is back in his legs after the first injury-plagued season of his life, Braun will provide steady perimeter defense. More important: His handle can bring the ball upcourt against pressure and mitigate Murray’s tendency to yo-yo his dribble so long it kills the offensive flow.
What won Denver the first league title in franchise history was more than a favorable draw to the championship. While all pro sports teams like to talk about family, the bonds are seldom strong enough to withstand real adversity.
The Nuggets of 2023, however, were different. Coach Michael Malone picked fights with anybody in the team’s way. On a nightly basis, Bruce Brown showed what a powerful effect selfless individual sacrifice can have on the spirit of a locker room. Uncle Jeff Green gathered everybody away from the arena to break bread.
There are at least five NBA teams that are more serious threats to win it all than the Nuggets.
Oklahoma City believes in its dynastic aspirations. It’s not a question of if San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama will rule the league, but when. The Knicks are now the kings of New York and walk with a championship swagger. The Celtics have reloaded. Commissioner Adam Silver seems hellbent on giving LeBron James a chance to go out on top in Philly.
Pro basketball is a business, not a family picnic. I get that.
“It’s a business,” Gordon said. “And Denver Nuggets basketball is in the business of winning.”
For the Nuggets to win another league championship, it will require more than getting down to business.
To survive the long and winding road of the playoffs, they must be a band of basketball brothers.