Aaron Gordon deserves huge credit for playing through injury for the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, May 19.
Gordon strained his hamstring in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This would usually take multiple weeks to recover, yet the power forward put his body on the line just two days later.
Unfortunately for Gordon and the Nuggets, his courage was not rewarded with a victory and a place in the Conference Finals.
Still, he earned the admiration of NBA fans, pundits, and players. Former Dallas Maverick Chandler Parsons had plenty of praise for him and made an interesting point about Stephen Curry.
Chandler Parsons compares Aaron Gordon with Stephen Curry
Curry also strained his hamstring in the Golden State Warriors’ Game 1 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves two weeks ago.
The point guard’s injury was only a grade 1, compared to Gordon’s grade 2, but he did not play in any of the Warriors’ next four games.
Parsons brought this up in a conversation about Gordon to highlight just how brave he was to suit up for the Nuggets.
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“I guarantee the medical director or training staff didn’t want him to play,” he explained. “We just saw Steph Curry miss the whole series basically with a Grade 1. We saw dudes miss games with toe injuries.
“This is a real injury that can continue to get worse. This dude is just really tough. I don’t think it’s calling the other guys soft. This is a hard injury. It should be like a three or four-week injury, and the dude played on 24 hours’ rest.
“I think it’s just kudos to him for toughing it out and understanding that this could possibly be the last game of the season, and he’s about to have four or five months to rehab. To play the next day with a grade 2… I wouldn’t have played.”
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Lou Williams gives his verdict on Aaron Gordon playing through hamstring injury
Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams also praised Gordon for competing in the Nuggets’ Game 7 loss.
He was not only impressed with the 29-year-old’s decision to play but also with his impact on the team despite the injury.
“That hamstring injury ain’t nothing to play with,” Williams said. “Everybody knows that. So, for it to be a grade 2 and for him to go out there and tough through it and try to give the team whatever he had left in the tank, shout out to him.
“I know the Denver Nuggets fans can appreciate that, and his teammates can appreciate that he tried to give them an opportunity to win. You’ve got to give a guy credit when he goes out on the line.
“His impact doesn’t jump off the sheet. He was 2-4 from the field. He had 11 rebounds, though. That’s key. I give him a lot of credit for giving himself a chance to go out there and be impactful.”
