The Denver Nuggets are preparing to matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. While the Warriors are preparing for their superstar point guard, Stephen Curry, to return soon, Nuggets fans are still patiently waiting on a definitive timeline for their point guard to return. Jamal Murray has been out since last April since he tragically tore his ACL ironically enough, against the Warriors. The hypothesis’ for Murray’s return have been all over the place this season. Some have said to expect Jamal to sit out the whole year. Some expected him to suit up for the last month of the year. Finally, some also expect him to make his debut during the playoffs. With all of this in mind, head coach, Michael Malone recently delivered an eye-brow raising update on the Blue Arrow.
Jamal Murray Injury
In what was a blowout that was already decided in April of 2021, tragedy struck Nuggets Nation. Many fault Malone for having Denver’s second-best player still on the court in a game where the outcome was all but a foregone conclusion. With only 50 seconds left in the game, Jamal Murray drove into the paint only to have the ball knocked out and off him giving the Warriors possession of the ball. However, Nuggets fans everywhere had other concerns as Jamal was clearly in pain.
Replays showed a nasty twist of the knee where the result was unfortunately a torn ACL. Before that point, Denver had looked like a serious championship contender with their new core. Murray, Michael Porter, and Nikola Jokic were thriving off of each other. The new addition, Aaron Gordon, had found a true home in Denver while the rest of the supporting cast was also following suit. Without their up and coming star in Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets came up in short in the second round of the playoffs last year.
Latest Updates on Murray
Per Vic Lombardi, Nuggets President of Basketball of Operations, Tim Connelly, recently said, “Not at all. When Jamal feels like he’s ready, he’s gonna sprint out there….He’s in the red zone of recovery,” when asked whether he would be surprised if Murray would announce he would play next week. However, perhaps the most interesting update about the 25 year old Kentucky product came from Michael Malone. Malone recently said “I would lean more towards him being doubtful at this time,” when asked about the status of Jamal. Clearly, this is a different answer than what the media got from Tim Connelly. However, it is cryptic enough to keep the door open for a rare, but possible return in the first round. After all, doubtful is an upgrade from being completely out.
Jamal Murray’s Impact for the Denver Nuggets
Many forget that Jamal Murray is one of the up and coming young stars of this league. Remember, this is the same player who in the bubble was one of the main catalysts of two improbable 3-1 comebacks. Not to mention, had a duel of the century with Utah’s Donovan Mitchell. Last season, Murray had what some would consider an All-Star worthy year. A year with totals of 21.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.9 percent before his tragic incident. Nikola Jokic is definitely the best player on the Nuggets. However, it could be argued that Jamal Murray returning would add another much-needed leader in Denver’s locker room.
