Nuggets Notes: Gordon, DeRozan, Strawther, Diallo

An encouraging sight for the Nuggets in Sunday’s win over Chicago was the health of Aaron Gordon, Vinny Bendetto of The Denver Gazette writes in a subscriber-only story. The veteran forward is coming off a year where injuries affected him throughout the regular season and playoffs, but he appears to be back to 100%. Gordon finished with 25 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes while connecting at 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range.

“I’m not a doctor, but it seems like he feels good,” coach David Adelman said. “It was good to see him make that third-quarter run confidently, not just because he was making shots. I just thought he played with some good pace in the third quarter. He got on the rim a few times, which means he’s really got to get out in stride. That was really good to see.”

Benedetto explains that Gordon adopted a change to his normal routine after playing just 36 games last season and three in the first-round playoff loss. He now gets to the arena earlier on game days, giving him more time for preparation, and stays later.

“It’s smoother. I feel better out there,” Gordon said. “It’s everything — more elongated stretching, more concentrated efforts, just more warming my body up and cooling it down.”

There’s more on the Nuggets:

• DeMar DeRozan’s transition to his new team continues to feel awkward, observes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. DeRozan was signed this summer to provide scoring and playmaking off the bench, but he has struggled in that role during his first three preseason appearances. He missed all four of his shots on Sunday, and he hasn’t been able to mesh his isolation style with Denver’s normal offense. Durando also states that Adelman used his starters into the second half on Sunday because they want more playing time together after injuries disrupted last season.
• The Nuggets are counting on Julian Strawther to take over Tim Hardaway Jr.’s role with the bench unit, Benedetto states in a separate story. The fourth-year guard is ready, saying he’s trying to be less “chaotic” on the court. “That’s all I’ve heard all summer is just finding ways to replicate Tim’s production, the things he was able to do for us. Obviously, he had an amazing year,” Strawther said. “We’re obviously missing that. We’ve got to fill that void.”
• Alpha Diallo, a 29-year-old rookie who spent the past five seasons in Europe, is hoping to bring his defensive reputation to the NBA, Benedetto adds in another piece. Diallo was named the EuroLeague’s Best Defender last season with Monaco. “Whoever I’m assigned to guard at that time, if they don’t know who I am, then hopefully they’ll find out real soon,” he said.