The Denver Nuggets are in a defensive freefall, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Since Aaron Gordon went down with a hamstring strain in the November 21 win over the Houston Rockets, the Nuggets have looked like a different team - and not in a good way. They’ve gone 3-3 since that game after opening the season with an 11-3 burst, and the cracks in their armor are showing loud and clear on the defensive end.
Let’s start with the numbers: over the last five games, Denver ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive rating. That’s not a typo.
This is a team that, with Gordon in the lineup, was hovering around a 114.8 defensive rating - not elite, but solid enough to stay competitive. Without Gordon and Christian Braun, though, the defense has completely unraveled.
Lineups missing both have posted a brutal -23.8 net rating, with opponents scoring at will.
This isn’t just a cold stretch. It’s a warning sign.
Gordon’s absence has exposed just how reliant this team is on his defensive versatility. He guards multiple positions, protects the rim, switches on the perimeter, and offers just enough offensive punch to keep defenses honest. He’s the kind of glue guy every championship-caliber team needs - and right now, Denver is trying to hold everything together without the glue.
Braun’s absence only compounds the issue. Without their top two wing defenders, the Nuggets are being forced to stretch their rotation thin.
That’s left Nikola Jokić - who’s already carrying a massive offensive load - scrambling to cover more ground defensively. And while Jokić has improved on that end, asking him to consistently contain drives, rotate on shooters, and defend in space is a tall order for any center, even a two-time MVP.
What we’re seeing now is a team that’s vulnerable at the point of attack and struggling to recover. Opponents are getting downhill with ease, targeting mismatches, and forcing Denver into tough rotations. It’s the kind of defensive breakdown that doesn’t just cost you regular season games - it can derail a playoff run.
The drop-off has been steep. From a top-five defense early in the season to bottom-five in the last handful of games, the Nuggets are watching their championship formula start to fray.
The offense is still humming - that’s never been the issue with this team. But when the defense can’t get stops, especially in tight fourth-quarter moments, it puts enormous pressure on the offense to be perfect.
That’s not sustainable.
Gordon is expected to miss four to six weeks total, and while his return will certainly help, it won’t be a cure-all. The bigger issue is that Denver just doesn’t have enough high-level, two-way wings behind him. What once looked like a deep, flexible rotation now feels like a patchwork group that’s prone to being picked apart by smart offenses.
This is where the Nuggets are feeling the grind of a long season. They’ve got the talent to weather offensive droughts, but when the defense falls apart, there’s no quick fix.
Until Gordon is back on the floor - and even then, unless someone else steps up - the Nuggets are going to have to find ways to survive defensively. Because right now, their margin for error is razor-thin, and the Western Conference isn’t going to wait for them to figure it out.