Jamal Murray has struggled on the court in recent months and has now had some shade thrown at him. An anonymous NBA player has reportedly claimed that Murray isn’t all that hard to guard at the moment.
“[Murray’s] very easy to guard now.”
I have to say I am not a big fan of such anonymous quotes. If someone really thinks Murray is very easy to guard, they shouldn’t have a problem coming out and saying it. That said, the Denver Nuggets star has not made life difficult on the court for defenders, since the playoffs last season.
Murray hit those two incredible game-winners against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, but that was about it when it came to the positives. The 27-year-old finished the 2024 playoffs with averages of 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game and shot 40.2% from the field and 31.5% from beyond the arc.
Murray was a bit hampered by injuries but things didn’t get much better later on when he headed to Paris for the Olympics. He averaged just 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for Canada and shot 29.0% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. He was expected to form a formidable backcourt with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but failed to live up to his end of the bargain.
Despite all those struggles, the Nuggets gave Murray a four-year, $208 million extension back in September. It was a show of faith in his abilities but the new deal didn’t see a return of the old Murray. He continued to struggle with efficiency on his return to the U.S., shooting just 30.8% from the field during the preseason.
Murray appeared to have gotten his mojo back in the Nuggets’ season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he went cold after a solid start. He started off 2-3 but then proceeded to make just two of his next 11 shots.
Murray ended the game against the Thunder with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Needless to say, the Nuggets won’t be making much noise this season if he doesn’t start playing better.
An NBA Executive Explains Why The Nuggets Are Stuck
This time last year, the Nuggets seemed like a cut above the competition in the Western Conference. They had just won the title and looked like a good bet to make it back to the NBA Finals. That’s not the case now, though, and an anonymous NBA executive stated the Nuggets are stuck.
“Denver’s second-best player is going backward. Jamal hasn’t been the same. There is something about Jamal’s health and physical capacity right now that concerns me. Michael Porter is also terribly overrated.”
“He’s a one-way player and just a scorer. I also don’t think Denver has the assets to get an upgrade. They’ll be stuck with the team they have.”
The Nuggets have pretty much locked themselves into this core. They have put their faith in Murray and Michael Porter Jr. and it’ll be interesting to see if they get rewarded for it. I wouldn’t completely write them off just yet but the early signs aren’t promising.
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