Keeler: Thanks to loaded Nuggets roster, Aaron Gordon can get back to doing what he does best. Everything.

He s a marble doorstop chiseled by Michelangelo A lead guitarist playing bass A soloist propping up the chorus Aaron Gordon is an All-Star who dresses up as a role participant every Halloween Only his Halloween lasts nine months We have so much talent on the offensive side I m not even really worried about it Gordon revealed of his - Nuggets whose regular season tips off Thursday night at Golden State I m gonna just take what is open for me and do what I can to take the pressure off of us if the contest gets stymied All the shots Michael Porter Jr is about to get with the Nets all the shots Jerami Grant took in Detroit AG could make He could be that guy These Nuggets are better almost perfect in fact when he doesn t have to be Really I m just worried about defense Gordon continued I m gonna just turn up on that end of the floor and let the cards fall where they may after that At Gordon is the Chris Bosh of the Nikola Jokic Era the glue that binds a dynasty the friend who comes over no questions requested to help carry a baby grand up seven flights of stairs Doing whatever it takes wherever it takes him In September that was a tour of Asia The -foot- Nuggets enforcer described Degrees lately that he s feeling like I m the best I ever have been at basketball Which is music to the ears of Nuggets Nation and nightmare fuel for the rest of the NBA Because when AG sets a target when he puts peepers on a goal he rarely misses Two summers ago Gordon made a point to shave the rough edges of his jumper The end product A smooth operator with an even smoother release Last season the big man set career-bests in -point shooting percentage and free-throw conversions This summer with his wonky calf healed it s about becoming a defensive stopper again It s about the long event being leaner meaner grinding all the way to June Moreso I worked on my body because I don t think I was on the floor enough last year Gordon stated That was the majority of my focus making sure that I m ready for the marathon The Nuggets don t see the finish line an NBA title the franchise s second in four seasons without a healthy AG raising Cain all the way to the end Gordon did more on one healthy leg last winter and spring than most of of his peers can manage on two A gamer to the last Mr Nugget cowboyed through the pain in his calf Yet there also were visible moments where Gordon s explosion the hops that spoiled and delighted us didn t look the same For the first time in Denver AG almost looked his age Yeah definitely wouldn t say this is my athletic prime Gordon quipped I was jumping over mascots when I was But I think there s a point where the IQ and your skill set and your athleticism all kind of meet at a certain level And that s where I m at Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets defends Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets - overtime win at Ball Arena in Denver on Friday May Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post He s smart enough to know where coach David Adelman necessities him the bulk right now and that s on the defensive end The Nuggets have added critical long-needed pieces on the offensive end dead-eye shooter Tim Hardaway Jr do-everything plugger and old friend Bruce Brown a savvy-passing backup big in Jonas Valanciunas But the enforcing the stops the rough stuff are going to have to have to improve internally In - Gordon set a career high in offensive efficiency scoring per possessions with a rating per Sports-Reference com But his defensive efficiency points given up on his watch slipped to a career worst per possessions Context His average defensive rating since joining the Nuggets has been around per possessions The Nuggets last season finished among the NBA s worst squads in group defensive efficiency points per opponent possessions st in the league That was the franchise s first bottom- defensive performance since - rd Denver had posted a defense ranked th or better for six straight seasons I think if we get to around the top defensively Gordon noted it s going to put us in a position to win it all Can t argue that But AG is the one who ll have to help set that bar Related Articles Meet the Denver Nuggets A complete roster breakdown heading into - season Christian Braun on contract extension Really excited for the way it went down Renck Nuggets gave Nikola Jokic everything he demands Now watch him cement his legacy Peyton Watson Nuggets unable to agree to contract extension meaning restricted free agency next summer Christian Braun agrees to -year million contract extension with Nuggets source says I m not sure they win that championship if it wasn t for Aaron Gordon and his defense NBC Sports analyst and former NBA great Reggie Miller narrated The Denver Post And this is a guy who was the man he was the guy in Orlando and flipped the switch once the pact to the Nuggets happened and got into Denver and understood for them to be fruitful he was gonna have to take on a different type of role And sometimes it s been a chameleon-type role Whatever it takes Wherever it takes him As Gordon approached a news conference table during Nuggets media day a limited weeks back Christian Braun was waiting for him The latter discovered himself reflecting on his fourth season already in the Mile High City It s a long time Braun commented Gordon sat down and grinned Try AG replied Time flies when you re having this much fun Even if it s not invariably flying over mascots anymore Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams