Nuggets Say Aaron Gordon Will Have Limited Role vs. Spurs

The Denver Nuggets still appear to be playing things safe as it concerns Aaron Gordon and his return from his recent hamstring and calf injuries, as he'll seemingly be eyeing a limited role against the San Antonio Spurs.

According to Nuggets head coach David Adelman, Gordon will be set on an unspecified minutes limit for Saturday's game against the Spurs.

Lineup alert: Aaron Gordon will have an unspecified minutes limit Saturday, per coach Adelman.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 4, 2026

It's a minor, yet still impactful update before the Nuggets' first or two matchups against the Spurs in the month of April, and their first contest of the season against rising MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama.

Yet, in the process of taking on the French phenom, Denver, who's already down a couple of key defensive pieces in the frontcourt, will have to be cautious surrounding availability and usage of Gordon, their Swiss Army knife forward.

How Aaron Gordon's Limitation Could Impact Spurs Game

Without both Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones as is, the Nuggets will be tasked with the test that is the top-rated Spurs and Wembanyama without two of their best and most versatile defenders. Being without Gordon at 100% capacity will also inevitably hurt their chances on that end of the floor as well.

Since returning from injury, Gordon has slowly begun to turn back into the two-way force he was at the beginning of the year, averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in the last month, yet playing in just 26 minutes a game.

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Aaron Gordon (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Long-term, it's a wise move to limit Gordon if needed to ensure that the Nuggets can be at full health when the postseason gets going. Denver's already dealt with enough injury troubles this year to risk another incident, especially revolving around Gordon, so they'll be keeping his reps limited on Saturday because of it.

But, in the short term in a pivotal matchup against a top talent in the West, and one that could help the Nuggets move up to the third seed themselves with a win, they'll be forced to make a few shifts to their regular rotation.

That depleted outlook in the frontcourt will put steeper pressure defensively on the shoulders of not just those who will be tasked to be slotted up in the rotation like Julian Strawther and Jonas Valanciunas, but also Nikola Jokic, who will be bound to have his hands full on both ends of the floor against a matchup like Wembanyama.

As long as both Jokic and Jamal Murray are healthy and on the floor, they can at least give the Nuggets a puncher's chance in any given matchup, especially as both are in the midst of All-NBA campaigns individually.

But against a team like San Antonio, who's been one of the best in the business in the past several months of the season, not having the rotation at 100% might hurt their overall chances just a bit.

Tip-off between the Spurs and Nuggets lands at 1 p.m. MT at Ball Arena, where Denver will be hoping to extend their own win streak to eight straight, while San Antonio will try to push their own league-best streak of 11 consecutive wins forward to a 12th.

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