Jamal Murray had one of the best comebacks last season after a terrible ACL injury he suffered the year before. The Denver Nuggets are already very hard to beat. They are extremely confident on the court while making the playoffs consistently every year under Nikola Jokic’s leadership and Mike Malone’s guidance. And this season, it’s almost as if nothing has changed and the Nuggets are continuing their playoff hot streak.
So far, Denver has been ripping through their opponents this season. They are on an 8-1 run which is currently the best record in the league and the Western Conference. The Nuggets are yet to compete against stronger opponents from the Eastern Conference, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks. They already have a win against the Dallas Mavericks, who are one of the favorites to win it all this season.
Putting Jamal Murray aside, Jokic, the 2x MVP is currently experiencing his best season. Jokic is averaging 28.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Besides him, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has accelerated on defense. The veteran is averaging 2 steals per game while anchoring the Nuggets defense alongside Aaron Gordon. Their entire starting lineup is currently averaging 84.3 points per game. But what happens if Murray is taken out of the equation?
Jamal Murray will be closely monitored for 3-4 weeks before returning
Jamal Murray has missed two games due to a right hamstring strain. This was reported by NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. He gave an update on X saying, “Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray will be likely sidelined for the remainder of the month because of his right hamstring strain.” While this may seem like a serious issue for the Nuggets to deal with, they’ve had a good enough start to take a slight step back and focus on keeping Murray healthy.
The Nuggets are taking a cautious approach to assure that there will be no lingering issues with the hamstring and there’s an expectation that Murray will need three-to-four weeks to properly heal and return to play, sources said. (More on NBA Countdown at 7 PM Eastern on ESPN).
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 8, 2023
Wojnarowski added that the Nuggets are going to sideline him for three to four weeks just to make sure he faces no issues after returning. Obviously, any injury that follows after an ACL tear could be devastating in its own way. The ESPYs Comeback Athlete of the Year will most likely join the Nuggets during the first half of December.
Jamal Murray is currently averaging 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 43.3% from the field and 43.8% from deep. He had an outstanding playoff run last season putting up 26.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. He was second to Jokic to win the NBA Finals MVP as well.