Aaron Gordon’s injury is going to reveal the reason why the Nuggets started the season with an open roster spot.

If it’s about roster flexibility, Denver needs to sign Spencer Jones or another forward to add depth in Gordon’s absence. The team announced Gordon would be reevaluated in four to six weeks after he strained his hamstring in Friday’s win over the Rockets in Houston. The Nuggets need to be careful with Gordon’s recovery. The most important thing is that Gordon is as close to 100% as possible for the playoffs. Gordon missed Wednesday’s game against New Orleans with bilateral hamstring injury management, which sounds precautionary. Gordon played through a left hamstring strain in Game 7 of last season’s second-round series against the Thunder.

Jones quickly earned the trust of the Nuggets’ coaching staff, despite playing on a two-way contract that limits him to 50 games on the active roster and makes him ineligible to participate in playoff games. The 6-foot-7 forward is a versatile defensive specialist who got the start in Saturday’s loss to the Kings, though he’s limited offensively. Depending on the opponent, the Nuggets feel like Jones can switch onto all five positions. If the Nuggets sign Jones to a standard contract for the remainder of the season, they will have an open two-way spot to sign another young player.

Zeke Nnaji got the start Wednesday to match up with Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson, while the team recalled rookie DaRon Holmes II from the G League ahead of Saturday’s game. Reserve Hunter Tyson also got some playing time Saturday, but none of the three have proven to be a reliable option yet.

If the decision to start the season with an open roster spot was about finances, expect the Nuggets to sit tight for the duration of Christian Braun and Gordon’s injuries despite the impact it has on Denver’s ability to win over the next month. The Nuggets are $2.9 million under the first apron. The NBA’s minimum contract spans from $1.2 million for players with no NBA experience to $3.3 million with 10 or more years of experience. Signing a player like Ben Simmons would put Denver right around the first apron.

Denver’s best bet is promoting Jones, a player Adelman has used even when the team was at full strength and finding another big body to occupy the newly created two-way spot, but whatever the Nuggets decide to do will reveal a lot.