Vinny's NBA Insider: Aaron Gordon's role; Nikola Jokic's MVP chances

Oct. 3—DENVER — Aaron Gordon went to Hollywood this offseason, but the start of the season signals the time to get gritty.

Gordon was among the NBA stars to appear in the Netflix original "Hustle," a fictional story of a Spanish basketball player who goes from street baller to top prospect. He also served as a model in a spicy commercial for his new cologne, named "Lust for Love," but he'll be back to basketball before long. With Michael Porter Jr. expected back in the starting lineup, Gordon can shift back to power forward, a more natural position for the 27-year-old.

"I love it," Gordon said. "It's just, like, more gritty. I can get back to, like, the grittiness in my game. You're more of a garbage man, and you can kind of like bang a little bit. I like that. I think at small forward, you kind of have to be a little bit more nice to the other small forwards. You know what I mean? You get called for offensive fouls and things like that."

When he wasn't appearing on screen, Gordon said he did some of his offseason preparation in front of a screen. He used Synergy's services to review a series of his best games and compared those against what he considered his worst games. He found a common thread or two upon review.

"In some of my worst games, I wasn't defending how I need to defend like on the ball and off the ball. I think my defense sparks me," Gordon said before moving to offense.

"The amount of aggression I was taking the ball to basket (with) and then shot selection. In some of my worst games, I was fading away from the basket a little too much."

In Gordon's first full season with the Nuggets, he frequently had the unenviable task of guarding the opponent's top perimeter option regardless of size. That meant he could be tasked with keeping up with a quick-twitch guy like Ja Morant one night and battling a bruiser like LeBron James a night or two later. With the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the anticipated returns of Jamal Murray and Porter at or near full health, Gordon should have less on his plate this season.

The goal is for the Nuggets to be a top-five defense this season, and Gordon said they're all on the same page.

"We know where we're supposed to be. We know what we're supposed to do," Gordon said. "Everybody knows their jobs. If you're not doing that, you're wrong. There's no gray area in this defense."

With improved defense and a jolt of offensive firepower returning, the Nuggets believe they can be among the championship contenders. While that might mean a reduced role in some regards, that seems to be all right with Gordon, especially if it comes with a benefit for his team.

"I think we're in a good spot. It's nice to have everybody back on the floor healthy and starting the camaraderie, starting the chemistry and the flow," Gordon said. "We're just getting our spacing down. I think we're going to be really tough. I think we'll be good on both sides of the ball."

Vinny's list: Top five films featuring NBA players

1. Ray Allen, He Got Game

2. Kevin Garnett, Uncut Gems

3. Shaquille O'Neal/Penny Hardaway, Blue Chips

4. Michael Jordan, Space Jam

5. Juancho Hernangomez/Anthony Edwards, Hustle

What I'm thinking

Getting betting advice from people who spend more time studying the lines in a smart idea.

Placing a wager on Nikola Jokic to win a third consecutive Most Valuable Player award is not a smart idea. For starters, it feels like Jokic is in the same position Giannis Antetokounmpo was in a couple of seasons ago. After Milwaukee's star won back-to-back MVPs, the voter fatigue seemed to be real after the Bucks failed to make the NBA Finals in either season. Jokic has stacked consecutive historic seasons, but without a run to the finals, it's going to be hard to get the voters back on his side.

Secondly, Jokic doesn't seem to have any interest in chasing the award. After being on the receiving end of a patented "I could not care less, brother," when I asked about the award a season ago, I let that slide this training camp. When a reporter started asking about the award at media day, Jokic seemed to shut that down, too.

The returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. should cut into Jokic's counting stats. A decrease in points and rebounds seems likely, though Jokic could very well increase his assists and shooting percentages with opposing defenses forced to focus on more threats this season.

Luka Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Joe Embiid and Kevin Durant all have better odds to win this season's MVP. A return to the days of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard being front runners for the top regular-season honor doesn't seem out of the picture, either.

A Nuggets championship, which can be had between +1,700 and +2,000 depending on the sportsbook, feels like a better use of (disposable) resources. I'll take Embiid this season with a longer shot on Ja Morant as this year's MVP.

What I'm reading

Not to toot my own horn, but if I didn't write our exclusive feature on Zeke Nnaji, I would be checking it out. Nnaji put on 10 pounds of muscle, but that wasn't the goal of an offseason dedicated to helping him stay on the court in his third NBA season. The goal was to keep him on the court.

If that's already been read (thank you!), I thought an ESPN piece about the Lakers' new mantra — "You get it, go" — informed readers how LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook plan to operate this season.

What I'm watching

Preseason basketball, duh. While it's still too early to draw grand conclusions, it's a good chance to get a preliminary look at where guys are at in a competitive environment, especially in Denver. Those who are unable to watch the preseason contests due to the ongoing cable disputes but are still in search of a Nuggets fix should check out Altitude's video coverage from training camp. They've got highlights, interviews and daily recaps from the week in Vegas. That should continue through the preseason.

What I'm Tweeting — SuperMascot Rocky does not need to be told to secure the bag. The Nuggets' beloved mascot is reportedly the highest-paid in the NBA at $625,000 a year, just ahead of Atlanta's Harry the Hawk. In fairness, after roughly two years on the beat, I'm still stunned when Rocky makes the backward shot from halfcourt in full uniform. Long live Rocky. (Source: @boardroom) — Karl-Anthony Towns, an integral part of Tim Connelly's first Timberwolves squad missed the first week of Minnesota's training camp for an undisclosed medical reason. His girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, posted on Instagram that she had to take Towns to the hospital, but he's expected back at practice this week, according to reports. (Source @Canishoopus) — A break from basketball, but Gazette features reporter Seth Boster captured quite the scene in Estes Park during the annual elk rut. A pair of bull elk took their battle for a mate into Lake Estes. (Source: @SethBoster)

What's on tap

Oct. 14: Nuggets final preseason game at Golden State

Oct. 18: Opening day of the regular season

Oct. 19: Nuggets' regular-season opener at Utah Jazz