Jamal Murray glared exclusively at The Denver Post.
The time was last July after Canada’s exhibition game against Team USA in Las Vegas. There was only one pertinent question: What is going on with the contract extension? “When we get there, we get there,” snapped Murray.
He was not comfortable talking about the deal, and he has not looked comfortable since signing a four-year, $208.5 million max contract extension in September.
The question now hangs over the season: Who is Murray?
The answer will determine whether the Nuggets contend for their second NBA title or get a Groupon discount code for May flights to Cancun.
Which brings us to this week and the Jamal Experience. When Murray is full throttle, he is special and the Nuggets are threats to anyone in the West, including Oklahoma City.
He scored a season-high 45 points in a win over Dallas on Tuesday, showing the burst, speed and strength of his salad days. Wednesday, with Nikola Jokic a late scratch with an elbow issue, Murray scored 22, but committed five turnovers and finished minus-17 in a 20-point loss to Houston.
So, who is Murray? Don’t act like we are the only ones asking. TNT commentator and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, wanting the Nuggets to win another crown, barked before Tuesday’s nationally televised game, “Jamal, get to work.”
After a flashback performance, making 18 shots and five 3s, Murray was told about O’Neal’s comment and his response was refreshing.
“I agree with that statement 100 percent. Because when it’s games like this, when I am on, there’s nothing to worry about. You know what I am saying? That’s the sense of the group,” Murray said.
Thank you. This is what we have all been waiting for: acknowledgment of his importance.
Ask people around the Nuggets, and many believe Jokic is the engine and Murray remains the heart.
And too many times this season, Murray has looked like he needs an angioplasty.
So many times, including last postseason against the Lakers, Murray has run into the storm, draining a breathtaking shot that most players are afraid to take and would never make.
What has changed? The way the Nuggets are constructed no longer allows for Murray’s bouts of inconsistency and injury.
It doesn’t seem fair. But this is where the Nuggets are. It began with Murray’s first disappointing playoff performance last spring, then he fell out of the starting lineup for Team Canada at the Olympics. He appeared hurt, and when the season arrived he looked like he was working his way back into shape.
With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gone, the Nuggets need the best of Murray. Instead, we have seen him regress from the player he was during the 2023 playoffs and last season.
This year he is averaging 19.8 points on 45.1% overall shooting and 39.2% from beyond the arc, his lowest numbers since the 2019 and 2020 seasons. His efficiency numbers are his worst in five years.
The player we saw in Dallas? The Nuggets can win with that guy and any version as the clear No. 2 option to Jokic. Denver is 8-2 when Murray delivers at least 23 points, which is the cutoff line for the league’s top 20 scorers this season. When Murray is mid, the Nuggets stink, going 7-10 in games when he scores less than 20 points. That projects to a 34-win season.
You see the problem?
Even with promising flashes from young players like Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther and Christian Braun, none is capable of filling in the gaps on Murray’s off nights. Russell Westbrook has meshed well with Jokic, even taking over Murray’s two-man game role at times. But he gets his points as a cutter, a slasher. He has been a welcome addition, but they need Westbrook to complement Murray, not replace him.
Complicating the issue is Murray’s health. He volunteered after Tuesday’s game that he took anti-inflammatories. He has been bothered by a knee problem and plantar fasciitis. He is only 27, but sometimes it seems like he will turn 38 next month. Murray is a tough guy, but the idea of him managing this type of pain effectively for five months without significant rest is not ideal. Or realistic.
Everyone knows Murray deserved his contract. But he has to earn it.
The Nuggets have improved, coinciding with Aaron Gordon’s return. But they are in a tough spot, dependent on a streaky player. Murray knows the uncomfortable truth: For the Nuggets to win big, they need Bubble Jamal — not a player who looks like he should be encased in bubble wrap.
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