The Denver Nuggets’ worst nightmare has just come true. Last night, their star forward, Aaron Gordon, exited their highly anticipated clash with the Houston Rockets after spending just three minutes on the court due to a strained hamstring. Although the forward has dealt with calf issues on the same leg, the Nuggets were hoping that it wasn’t anything too serious, but it was.

That’s because ESPN’s Shams Charania has now revealed that Gordon has suffered a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. “Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has sustained a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, sources tell ESPN,” he posted on X.

According to reports, a Grade 2 injury is referred to when there’s a moderate strain with some muscle tearing (a partial tear). In a clevelandclinic.org Report, “Grade 2 and Grade 3 strains usually cause a loss of strength in your affected hamstring,” and it might take a month to heal. The comeback drags a bit longer if it involves surgery.

Naturally, this is a huge blow to the Nuggets. More so because Aaron Gordon has been enjoying arguably one of, if not the best, starts to a season throughout his career. The 30-year-old has been averaging 18.8 points along with 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists, all while shooting an incredible 53.2 percent from the field.

Now, not only has his season been halted, but there’s also no fixed return date for the veteran forward. If everything goes well, we might see Aaron Gordon make a swift return, but that’s just mere speculation for now. Nonetheless, even if he does return as soon as possible, will he be able to pick up from where he left off?

Returning from such a huge setback and playing at his best won’t be easy. He might be a bit rusty and may even take a few games to get his flow back. So, as harsh as it may sound, the Nuggets will have to quickly move on from this injury and find a suitable replacement for Gordon. But the question is, who can they put in their starting five, and how well can they do without Gordon?

Who can replace Aaron Gordon following his unfortunate injury update?

“What Aaron is for us is enormous.” This is what Denver’s head coach, David Adelman, said yesterday.

“So if he misses some time … other guys will fill in. They’ll do their thing. We’ll look a little bit different. We’ll play different lineups. We’ll play a different way. But we’ll still have our constants in there. And obviously, we really, really need Aaron back as soon as possible, whenever he’s ready to come back,” he further emphasized.

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So, now with Aaron Gordon out of the picture for at least a month or more, Adelman must find a replacement for his star forward. Well, 24-year-old Spencer Jones would be the most likely replacement for Gordon. However, the forward is still quite young and doesn’t seem to be qualified enough to be a starter, especially in a stacked Western Conference where the Denver Nuggets cannot afford to lose points.

This most likely leaves David Adelman with one choice: To play with two bigs in the lineup. Yes, the Nuggets’ best shot to stay afloat until Aaron Gordon’s return is to play both Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas alongside each other. The 33-year-old has been a phenomenal backup for the Joker and deserves a place in the starting lineup.

So far, Valanciunas is averaging 8.5 points along with 4.4 rebounds in just 12.4 minutes of action per game. This indicates that there’s a lot of potential left to explore with him in the starting lineup with Jokic. Although this might take a toll on the three-time MVP, Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes II should be able to take some pressure off their franchise player.

All in all, the two big lineups might be the answer to David Adelman’s questions, which he will certainly need, given Denver’s poor record without Aaron Gordon, and also because of other injuries on the roster as well. Last season, the Mile-High City team was 17-14 without Gordon, which is significantly worse than their 33-18 record with him present on the court.

So, the ride ahead for Denver might be a bumpy one if they don’t choose the right strategy and starting lineup in Aaron Gordon’s absence.