The Denver Nuggets recovered from a shaky start to the season by winning five games in a row behind Nikola Jokic‘s MVP play. Since Jokic has missed the last two games for personal reasons, the Nuggets were uncompetitive in losses against the Memphis Grizzlies (90-105) and New Orleans Pelicans (94-101).
Jamal Murray averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.5 steals on 38.7% from the field and 21.4% from three. Over these two losses, failing to rise to the occasion as the team’s No. 2 option. Everyone understands that Jokic is the reason the Nuggets have a shot as top-tier contenders but Murray has had a slow start to the season which is being compounded by Jokic’s ongoing absence from the squad.
With four years and $208 million left on his contract for a team with a massive wage bill, a worrying injury history, and declining production, here’s why the Nuggets should officially start worrying about Jamal Murray.
Is The Production Worth The Inflexibility It Creates
Jamal Murray was one of the few Nuggets from the 2023 championship to receive a contract extension, a four-year, $208 million deal that will see him stay with the franchise until the 2028-29 season. On paper, it isn’t a bad deal for a 27-year-old player who was the co-star on a championship run, but the results on the court are starting to look spotty for Murray.
Murray is averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 39.9% from the field and 30.2% from three this season, having bright spots but overall looking unconvincing in his role as the No. 2 option and primary guard scorer on the Nuggets.
The sample size for Murray’s declining production continues to increase, stretching back to him averaging 18.4 points on 40.3% from the field in the Western Conference semifinals before a dismal Olympic run where he averaged six points on 28.0% from the field in four games with Canada.
The Nuggets will pay $199,480,856 million to 13 contracted players in 2025-26, which would likely be well over the salary cap for next season. Spotrac estimates next year’s salary cap to be $154,647,000, meaning the Nuggets will remain in the second apron of luxury tax for another season.
If the team runs into sustained problems with building out their roster, Murrays’ $46,394,100 million salary next season could weigh the franchise down as the team is above the second apron and have restrictions imposed on them which will affect team-building such as signing buyout candidates, and making trades due to salary-matching restriction and draft pick freezes.
He has had a spotty injury history in recent years, most notably missing over a year recovering from an ACL tear which saw him miss the 2021 and 2022 NBA Playoffs, as well as the entire 2021-22 season. He played 59 out of the 82 games last season.
There’s no question Jamal Murray earned this deal with his role on the 2023 Championship and being a homegrown star, but the future constraints this could create with his average production will be a major concern for the franchise.
Recent UFC Incident
The Nuggets played crucial games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies on the road, with both games resulting in losses as Jokic didn’t suit up. Murray did and his performances fell short of the mark in both losses against shorthanded teams.
Fans have been angry at Murray for taking the time in the middle of this road trip, in light of Jokic’s absence, to take a detour to New York and attend UFC 309.
“Why is Jamal Murray flying all over the country going to UFC fights on off days when he’s been horrible all year after just signing a max contract? Probably should spend more time focusing on a job where he’s doing a lot less than he’s supposed be,” said Sirius XM’s ‘NBA Today’ host Justin Termine.
“Jamal ‘$208M/4y,’ Murray thinks it’s a good idea to travel to NY to watch UFC between two away games after a lackluster performance (lost against the Pelicans bench) while Jokić is out,” said a fan before the loss to the Grizzlies.
“Jamal’s had 1 good game so far. Not acceptable for a guy making that much money. And now he’s at a UFC event the day before a game in which he will have to be a $200-million player. I don’t want to hear talks of apologizing if he does good. MF needs to string good games together,” said another fan.
While a mountain shouldn’t be made out of this molehill, it is unfortunate to see Murray do this and not be able to justify it with his performance on the court. He has enough equity with the franchise to do something like this, but the fan outrage at this amid declining performances has been notable and understandable.
There Might Be Some Hope
Murray is a 27-year-old guard who should be in the middle of his physical prime on the basketball court. Writing him off as a declining player could be hasty despite the recent sample size growing. His shooting ability allows him to impact the games albeit his consistency has come into question. But this could just be an extended cold spell with light at the end of the tunnel.
Many believe Murray is still working on improving his conditioning, although fears of him being ‘out-of-shape’ might have been overblown. He does look less explosive than before, but that could also be a result of his past knee injuries. His primary way of dominating games is his scoring ability, which can be revitalized by improved shot selection after Jokic is back.
His regular season consistency has never been the same as the version of him we see in the Playoffs, outside the disappointing series against the Timberwolves last season. He’s never made an All-Star or All-NBA team despite being a max contract guard primarily because the Nuggets rely on him for the big moments. He’s come through before but his recent disappearances in those moments is what’s raising questions.
Murray could be a stretch of games away from making any concerns about him go away, so Nuggets fans will be praying it comes soon, especially if Jokic’s personal reasons cause him to continue missing upcoming games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.
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