On Wednesday, shocking news broke regarding Denver Nuggets' forward Aaron Gordon. On Christmas Day, Gordon suffered serious injuries after being bitten by a family dog. Gordon needed 21 stitches on lacerations to his face and right shooting hand.
Aaron Gordon suffered serious dog bites to his face and shooting right hand on Monday — requiring 21 stitches, sources say. It will take some time to heal, with no timetable yet. https://t.co/blxcSB01PM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2023
The Nuggets issued a statement that Gordon is in good condition but will remain away from the team for an undetermined amount of time. Gordon's return has no exact timetable, but according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, it should be a relatively short-term absence.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone spoke on the situation following Wednesday's practice.
“He's hanging in there,” Malone said via AltitudeTV. “Obviously, a very traumatic experience and the most important thing I told him is that you take as much time as you need. We're a family — wins, losses, and when people go through tough times like Aaron's going through right now.”
Malone emphasized the team's full support for Gordon, and understands how the injury impacts him physically, but also mentally.
“We need him to heal inside and out,” said Malone. “Going through something like that is not something you come back from easily. That's something where you have to heal from the physical, but you also have to heal from the mental and what you just kind of went through.”
This isn't Gordon's first absence this year. Earlier in the season, the Nuggets were without Gordon for five games as he nursed a strained right heel. Gordon is a dominant force in the paint, and his absence will likely be missed by the Nuggets. But they'll likely look to others like Justin Holiday and Zeke Nnaji to fill in during Gordon's absence.
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