Why is Aaron Gordon Not Playing?
Aaron Gordon isn’t playing because of a Grade 2 right hamstring strain that he suffered in late November, and he’s still listed as out on the Denver Nuggets’ latest injury reports heading into the upcoming games.Arizona Wildcats for Israel (@uofa_israel) reported on X that Aaron Gordon, the Arizona–Israel representative, will not play tonight due to injury.
Gordon went down just three minutes into Denver’s win over the Houston Rockets in an NBA Cup game in late November, grabbing at the back of his right leg before heading straight to the locker room. Subsequent testing confirmed a Grade 2 strain of the right hamstring, and the Nuggets immediately ruled him out and scheduled a 4–6 week recovery window with a formal re-check.
Since that night, he has missed every game, including a stretch that reached at least nine consecutive DNPs by mid-December, which pushed Denver into more small-ball and committee forward minutes. Head coach David Adelman has talked about it as a “tedious buildup” type of injury, stressing they have to be careful because it’s the same area that bothered him last postseason.
Is Aaron Gordon Hurt Right Now?
Yes, he’s still dealing with the right hamstring strain and remains on the official injury report as out. Multiple outlets list him with a hamstring designation, and there’s been no upgrade yet to questionable or probable for the next game. Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) reported on X that Aaron Gordon is expected to miss 4–6 weeks with a hamstring injury.
Team and national reporters have consistently described it as a Grade 2 strain with bilateral hamstring issues in his recent history, which explains why Denver is in no rush to put him back on the floor. It’s a little concerning, given his heavy lower-body workload in this system, but it also tracks with how carefully the organization has handled muscle injuries over the last couple of seasons.
When Will Aaron Gordon Return?
When the Nuggets announced the injury on November 23, they set a 4–6 week re-evaluation window, pointing toward a timeline that stretches into early January. By December 9, Adelman and multiple reports were saying Gordon was not expected back before Christmas, effectively pushing realistic return hopes into the first week of the new year. Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) reported on X, citing Shams Charania, that Aaron Gordon will miss at least 4–6 weeks due to a hamstring injury.
Recent updates have shown him getting pregame work in on the court and “showing nice strides” in Sacramento, which at least confirms he’s progressing through the ramp-up phase. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the first game of January or if Denver will slide him in later in that road-heavy stretch, but the expectation remains that he returns sometime in that early-January window barring a setback.
Aaron Gordon’s 2025–26 Stats
Before the hamstring issue, Gordon was in the middle of a strong start to the 2025–26 season. Across roughly the first month, he averaged about 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and providing his usual versatile defense on the wing and at the four.
Those numbers represented a bump in scoring compared to several of his prior Denver seasons, with the Nuggets using him more aggressively as a downhill finisher and short-roll option. Some will remember similar early-season surges from him in past years that tailed off a bit under heavier defensive attention, so locking in that efficiency again after a soft-tissue injury is going to be a key storyline once he’s back
Disclaimer:
This article is based on publicly available information from credible sports news sources as of December 2025. Player statuses, injury updates, and return timelines may change without notice. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, refer to official NBA and Denver Nuggets announcements.
