The Nuggets got a glimpse Thursday of what happens when one key shooter disappears from the mix: the floor tightens fast, and Aaron Gordon can only do so much.
Cam Johnson had already given Denver one make from deep in the first quarter against the Thunder before a right ankle sprain shut him down after just 11 minutes. By night’s end, Gordon was the Nuggets’ leader from three, knocking down 3 of 4 and finishing with 20 points in 29 minutes. That’s a useful wrinkle for Denver’s offense, especially after Gordon’s 43.6 percent mark from long range in 2024-25, but it’s not a replacement plan.
Johnson’s absence mattered immediately. He entered the night as Denver’s best three-point shooter, and if he had been able to stay on the floor, he would have taken more of those shots than Gordon.
More importantly, the spacing would have looked a whole lot better. That was already an issue for the Nuggets, and it gets worse when Johnson is unavailable.
The numbers from the loss to Oklahoma City tell the story. Denver finished 8 of 30 from three-point range, while the Thunder shot 11 of 43. The percentages were nearly identical, but Oklahoma City launched 13 more threes, and that volume gave them another edge in the shot profile battle.
The individual struggles didn’t help. Nikola Jokić went 1 of 7 from deep, and while he can hit threes, he’s not someone defenses truly fear as a perimeter sniper.
Jamal Murray, who averaged 7.5 three-point attempts per game and shot 43.5 percent last season, took only one and missed it. Christian Braun finished 1 of 6.
Trevon Brazile went 0 of 4.
The result was exactly what it looked like on the floor: ugly, especially after halftime. The Nuggets didn’t lose strictly because the threes weren’t falling, but the offense took a hit without Johnson.
That’s expected to a point, given his role. It just can’t get that bad.
Gordon’s shooting remains a real asset for Denver. He has become a legitimate threat from outside, and that matters.
But the Nuggets cannot ask him to be the whole answer from beyond the arc. Not against a defense like Oklahoma City’s, and not if Johnson is sidelined.
There’s hope that Braun’s rough 30.1 percent from three last season doesn’t carry over, and that he looks more like the 39 percent shooter he was in 2023-24. Still, Denver can’t count on that bounce coming overnight.
What the Nuggets should be able to lean on is Murray getting up more threes. Without Johnson, and without Julian Strawther, the team’s perimeter shooting loses a significant piece. Jokić will keep finding open teammates on the perimeter - even when he’s not exactly staring them down - but those looks still have to go in.
And for a team with championship ambitions, that kind of shooting depth isn’t a luxury. It’s a must.
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