After a topsy-turvy 2024 offseason, the Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic were ready to turn the page and pursue their second NBA title in three seasons. It’s kinda hard to fathom the likelihood of that happening this coming summer — or perhaps even in the near future — with the latest injury update on Jamal Murray.
READ MORE NIKOLA JOKIC: George Karl thinks Nuggets are willingly wasting all-time great’s prime.
According to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette, Murray’s knee was feeling “funny” before Sunday night’s preseason home loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets apparently believed that it wouldn’t be a problem for Murray and proceeded to play him 19 first-half minutes as they started getting ready for the regular season.
While the rest of Denver’s starters stayed on the floor in the third quarter, Murray was subbed out to rest his ailment. Oof:
Michael Malone said today Jamal Murray’s knee started feeling “funny” prior to last night’s game. They figured it was something that would dissipate during the game, but they decided to hold him out of the second half. Murray had big ice bags wrapped around his knees today.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) October 14, 2024
At the risk of burying the lede, this Murray knee issue truly could be a worst-case scenario for whatever’s left of the Nuggets as championship contenders in Nikola Jokic’s prime.
Through thick and thin, the Nuggets have stayed in Murray’s corner. This remained the case even after an awful postseason and Olympics showing with Team Canada. Denver still bet on Murray getting healthy and rising to the occasion as Jokic’s lead running mate. That’s because it needs him to play like an All-Star-caliber talent to be among the NBA’s elite. Any other problems or roster questions they might have pale in comparison to Murray being able to stay on the floor and deliver electric performances night in and night out. You know, the way Murray did en route to Denver’s 2023 championship.
So, they gave him a four-year, $208 million extension in mid-September and effectively crossed their fingers. Now, for all intents and purposes, Murray will likely be a Nugget until the summer of 2030. If the 27-year-old is already dealing with a new knee problem before Denver is in the thick of its regular-season journey, that’s a bad omen for him looking anywhere close to a consistent franchise player over the duration of his new contract.
Of course, this could just be Murray managing general knee tightness for something that he has had to monitor ever since he tore his ACL in March 2021. Murray wasn’t available every evening in 2023 per se, but it was not an issue for him in 2023 with a similar setup. This just might be the reality for him now.
But let me put it this way.
If whatever this issue is is enough to somewhat hamper Murray in ramp-up action, then it’s enough to keep track of in line with his immediate future and whether this iteration of Denver will be able to climb to the top of the NBA’s mountain again. At this point, they have too much commitment to Murray to pivot off of him if things don’t work out.
Who knows?
Maybe this is just a minor setback, as the Nuggets are being rightfully cautious with the second-most important investment on their roster during the preseason. It’s mid-October. They’re trying to play through most of June. This is what you would do. But given Murray’s history of ailments as Denver plays this fraught balance, it’s tough not to think of the ceiling eventually caving in on whatever’s left of a title window with Jokic.