What happened to Aaron Gordon? Looking at Denver Nuggets forward's dog bite injury

The Denver Nuggets are going to be without Aaron Gordon for a while, the team announced Thursday. The veteran forward is going to be sidelined after suffering lacerations on his face and hand from a dog bite.

The incident with the dog happened on Christmas Day. According to the Nuggets, Gordon is in good condition and will remain with the team while he recovers. At the moment, there is no timeline for his return.

Gordon is in the midst of his third full season with the Denver Nuggets. He's played in 28 games, averaging 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Before this injury occurred, Gordon played for the Nuggets on Christmas in a 120-114 win over the Golden State Warriors. He logged 32 minutes and finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and coming down with 10 rebounds.

As a versatile forward who does a little bit of everything, losing Gordon is a tough blow for the Nuggets. Their first game without him will be on Thursday night against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

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Who will start in place of Aaron Gordon while he recovers from injury?

One thing that helped the Denver Nuggets win the NBA title last year was their depth off the bench. A year later, that is not a luxury they have anymore. With Bruce Brown and Jeff Green departing in free agency, the back of the rotation has gotten thin. Nonetheless, Denver coach Michael Malone has decisions to make regarding his starting lineup.

With Aaron Gordon out of action, the Nuggets could go in multiple directions with who will start in his place. If they want to embrace a smaller style of play, they could go with someone like Chrisitan Braun. Malone could also throw another lengthy forward out there like veteran Justin Holiday are rookie Julian Strawther.

If Malone wants to stick with size at the forward position, he could give Zeke Nnaji an extended opportunity to showcase his talents. Early in his career, the 6-foot-9 forward showed the potential of being an effective floor spacer in the frontcourt. However, his development has been up and down in recent seasons. This year, Nnaji is averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg.

Looking at the standings, the Nuggets (22-10) cannot allow the Gordon injury to slow them. They sit just one-and-a-half games out of first place in the Western Conference with the OKC Thunder (19-9) only a game behind them in third place.