"His Basketball IQ Has Skyrocketed": Nuggets Reporter Breaks Down Aaron Gordon's Growth This Season

The Denver Nuggets are once again one of the top teams in the Western Conference, and Aaron Gordon is one of the driving forces behind this surge. In more ways than one, Gordon is playing the best basketball of his life, thus adding layers to the highly lethal, Nikola Jokic-driven offense.

Nuggets beat reporter Katy Winge broke down Gordon’s evolution in a recent appearance on NBA TV. Winge, who is in her third season with the Denver-based Altitude TV, revealed the secret behind Gordon’s improved three-point shooting.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he has a full basketball court in his house,” Winge said of Gordon. “He has the availability to go and get shots up, at any point of any day.”

The result of Gordon’s reps and hours in his personal facility: a 45.2%-shooting clip from beyond the arc, the most efficient percentage that he’s put up from that distance in his career.

Winge also pointed to familiarity as a key factor in Gordon’s growth. “More time with this organization, with this roster, even with some of the new pieces… he is so cerebrally smart. His basketball IQ has skyrocketed,” she added.

While the 30-year-old’s maturity has helped him establish great dynamics with his old and new teammates, his relationship with Nikola Jokic has certainly boded well for the upward trend in his basketball intellect. The on-ball decisions and off-ball movement of Gordon have gotten better and better in the five years that he’s spent with the Joker, one of the best court generals the game has ever seen.

Better decisions have led to more scoring opportunities for Gordon, who is averaging a career-best 20.3 points per game. While Jamal Murray is still the number two option behind Jokic, Gordon has made waves as a formidable “third guy” that gives opposing defenders an even bigger headache.

“The chemistry of Jokic, Murray, and Gordon just continues to grow,” Winge commented. “You can see that AG just continues to find his spots and perform at the highest level.”

When it comes to the Nuggets, the golden standard for basketball IQ and offensive production is still the three-time MVP. But NBA teams have figured out that it’s wrong to underestimate a talented, intelligent scorer such as Gordon.