In a conversation with Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, Nuggets President Josh Kroenke tried to explain Jamal Murray’s performance in the Olympics this summer. According to Kroenke, the star point guard was not at full strength this offseason and it caused some major problems for Team Canada.
“When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents’) best shot. And if you’re not 100% and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is,” said the Nuggets President. “But I know he wasn’t 100%. I know getting him back there is a big step toward seeing the Jamal who was throwing up triple-doubles in the NBA Finals.”
“Jamal’s a great player, one of the best in the NBA,” Kroenke continued. “He felt the Olympics were for him. Just reading some of his quotes, I know he was frustrated a little bit. So I have no doubt that he’ll use that the right way for motivation going into the season.”
Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray is one of the elite guards in the West and his recent play with Nikola Jokic delivered the franchise their first championship in 2023. So when Murray was confirmed to be active for Canada in the Olympics this summer, many thought it had the potential to swing the outcome of the tournament.
Objectively, Canada’s fire-power doesn’t quite match up to Team USA but they have one of the strongest rosters in the world with Murray, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, and young superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the FIBA World Cup years ago, they managed to finish 3rd after defeating the United States 127–118.
They started the Olympics this year as the biggest threat to the USA and convincingly won many games. But after matching up with France in the quarterfinals, losing 82-73, they were eliminated from the tournament and their dreams of winning gold were officially dead.
To make matters worse for Jamal Murray, his performance was disastrous for the team. Over the four elimination games, Murray averaged 6.0 points per game on 29% shooting, including 14.3% from beyond the arc. He also averaged a team-high 2.3 turnovers.
With his minutes and role falling fast, Murray tried everything to find his rhythm but he was unable to recover from his struggles on the floor. He’ll have to wait another four years to redeem his performance in the games.
In the meantime, the Nuggets will need Murray to help them capture another championship. With averages of 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 48.1% shooting last season we know that Jamal can still play at an elite level but he needs to stay healthy in order to be at his best.
Going into next season, the Nuggets are no longer the leaders in the West. Teams like the Mavericks, Suns, Thunder, and Timberwolves are all expected to take a step up next season and it will be impossible for the Nuggets to keep up if Murray is not at his peak. Fortunately, the franchise still has faith that their star point guard can produce at a level that can help them win another title.
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