Aaron Gordon gearing up for Denver Nuggets playoff run despite difficult season

Two different kinds of pain haven't prevented Aaron Gordon from producing.

A couple of calf strains and an ankle sprain have forced Gordon to miss 30 of the Nuggets first 75 games of the season.

There are seven games left in the regular season before Denver starts its postseason run.

I need to get my body where I need it to be.

Thats really it.

Other than that, Im all right, Gordon told the Denver Gazette after Fridays win over Utah.

I have enough time to get back in shape.

Mark Kiszla: Who's the glue guy Nikola Jokic needs most to hold Nuggets together in quest for NBA championship? Gordon said its not a matter of conditioning or endurance as much as its about regaining full flexibility.

Though hes played much of the season at less than 100%, hes having the best shooting career of his season.

After going 1 for 2 from 3-point range against the Jazz, Gordon is shooting 45.9% from deep this season.

The only thing preventing the 29-year-old from topping the leagues 3-point percentage chart is the number of makes.

Players must make 82 3-pointers to be eligible, and Gordon is at 67.

While he won't qualify unless he hits 15 more triples in Denver's final seven games, Gordon's increased inefficiency from distance will make teams that previously dared him to shoot more think about when the playoffs begin next month.

Dont get too high, dont get too low, Nikola Jokic said of Gordons handling of a challenging season.

Injuries are a part of basketball.

I think he knows that.

Sometimes, its really frustrating just to be out, on the sideline.

But I think, big picture, he understands that sometimes youre not having a good day and youre going to get frustrated.

Starting lineup: Deion Sanders is house shopping with record $54 million contract at Colorado The pain hasnt been exclusively physical.

Still grieving over the death of my brother, Gordon said.

Gordons older brother, Drew, died in a traffic accident in Oregon last May.

Drew spent a lot of time in Denver after his playing career ended and was a regular at Aarons games.

Its one of the most difficult, Gordon said of his 11th NBA season.

But Ive got a great group of guys.

Michael Porter Jr.

tried to offer some help as Gordon navigates the mental and physical challenges that this season has presented.

The way Porter sees it, those things are closely connected.

He recommended Gordon check out Nichole Sachs work.

Sachs is a psychotherapist who specializes in chronic pain and its relation to the brain.

Hes really put a lot on his back and put a lot on his shoulders and played and tried to be available for the team and play through a lot, Porter told the Denver Gazette.

I told him the other day, though, youve got to take care of your emotions.

When a lot of stuff happens in your life, you can repress it.

I know from dealing with chronic pain how repressed emotions actually can get stored in the muscles, and you can deal with chronic pain.

Thats what happened with me with my lower back.

I tried every physical treatment over the years, and it wasnt until I found a lady named Nicole Sachs, who works on the brain-body connection and the repressed emotions part of stuff.

I was able to let go of that tension in different parts of my body and feel good.

I told Aaron the other day, man, hes dealing with a lot.

I feel like he takes care of his body with the rest of them, but I told him Youve got to take care of your emotional state, as well.

Not quite 100% Nikola Jokic makes Denver Nuggets history in win over Milwaukee Bucks Gordon has memorialized his older brother in a couple of ways.

Prior to the season, Gordon changed his jersey number from 50 to 32, the number his brother wore for most of his playing career.

Under the jersey, theres a tattoo over his heart of a primate with the initials DG left without any ink.

When asked how much he would lean on Drew during the season, Gordon didnt have much to say.

A lot, brother, Gordon said, walking off.

A lot..

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