Why is Aaron Gordon not playing tonight against OKC Thunder in Game 7? Latest injury update for Nuggets breakout star (May 18)

The Denver Nuggets suffered a major blow to their playoff aspirations as Aaron Gordon will likely be sidelined for an extended period. On Sunday, ESPN's Shams Charania provided a big update on Gordon's status ahead of the Nuggets' Game 7 matchup with the OKC Thunder.

The NBA insider delivered the news on his X account.

"Denver's Aaron Gordon has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and needs several weeks to recover from the injury, sources tell ESPN. The Nuggets' playoff star has been searching for ways to play in today's Game 7 against Oklahoma City, but it is becoming physically improbable to do so," Charania tweeted.

Gordon has been instrumental to Denver's neck-and-neck battle against the Thunder in the West semifinal.

He provides great value with his timely baseline cuts and is always a threat on his drive and lob opportunities. The Thunder found him particularly hard to deal with in Game 3 where he scored 22 points, collected eight rebounds and dished out five assist to help his team win 113-104 in overtime.

Gordon has averaged 14.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in six games against the Thunder in the semifinal series. He has been effective on both ends of the floor, and losing him is a critical blow to coach David Adelman's tactics.

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How will Aaron Gordon's absence affect the Nuggets in decisive Game 7 against the OKC Thunder?

The Denver Nuggets vs. the OKC Thunder series has arguably been the best series in this season's playoffs so far. The clash of the two MVP frontrunners has produced classics that have kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Aaron Gordon has been a prime contributor in making this series extremely entertaining to watch. The Nuggets forward has been his team's X factor who has showed up on multiple occasions and tilted the game in favor of his team.

However, his absence on the decisive Game 7 will have a bad affect on his team. Gordon was essential to coach Adelman's tactics, where his off-ball movement allowed him to shrug defenders and get easy dimes from Nikola Jokic or his screens created space for his teammates on the floor.

Those services will not be available to the Nuggets on Sunday's Game 7 and they would have to run a different tactic. However, the OKC Thunder have also been brilliant for the entirety of the semifinals and getting past them without Gordon will be difficult even with the world's best player on their roster.

The Nikola Jokic-squad's players will need to step up on Sunday to advance to the Western finals against the Timberwolves, who knocked them out last season.