The Denver Nuggets are moving closer to one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history.
Let’s continue our three-week series in advance of Media Day on September 29th, just a few days away! With 14 players on the roster and a new mix of players to discuss, it’s important to remember who the Nuggets have, who they don’t have, and what to expect heading into October.
Up next, a check-in on Jamal Murray.
On ESPN yesterday, Jamal Murray was ranked the 46th player in the NBA heading into the 2025-26 season. That’s pretty low. I thought it might be a typo, but it was real. Murray wasn’t any worse than his previous season, but ESPN saw fit to drop him down below the likes of Jarrett Allen, Desmond Bane, Amen Thompson, even Murray’s teammate Aaron Gordon.
The reputation for Murray being a playoff killer lasted two years. He’s a player that can reach the highest of heights in postseason basketball but struggles to reach those same levels in the regular season at times. Part of that is by design, saving something in the tank for the games that matter most. Part of it isn’t by design and it’s just who Murray can be sometimes – inconsistent.
For the first 17 games of Murray’s 2024-25, Murray was underwhelming, averaging under 18 points per game and shooting just 42.0% from the field and 33.0% from three. It was the same ol’ same ol’ for Murray, who often starts slow and sets an unfortunate narrative whether he likes it or not.
For the other 50 games, the vast majority of Murray’s season, he put up nearly 23 points er game on 49.0% from the field and 41.3% from three. He looked healthier throughout the year, more athletic and engaged, and had completely shrugged off the slow start with some impressive performances. A 45-point game against the Dallas Mavericks in January, a 55-point game right before the All-Star break, and a 39-point performance vs the Houston Rockets without Nikola Jokic in the lineup. It was heartening to Nuggets fans to see that gear in their second star.
Of course, Murray’s final “grade” for the year will only ever occur in the playoffs, and he was good but not great there. 21.8 points, 5.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 55.5% True Shooting is pretty good for a second option, especially when matching up against the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Murray’s Game 7 vs the Thunder was a bad note to end on (13 points, two assists, 6-of-16 FG, 1-of-8 3P) but he certainly wasn’t the only one to underperform that game. Frankly, everyone did (except Christian Braun).
But that was last year. This year, the page has been turned, and the Nuggets are better on paper. Cam Johnson replaces Michael Porter Jr. and should add some ball handling capability in the starting lineup. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas add some veteran savvy and skill to the bench group, replenishing a unit that was overburdened and underwhelming last year.
For Murray, his role probably won’t change much. He will have the ball in his hands more when playing with bench units and not next to Russell Westbrook. Murray will have several shooters, defenders, and rebounders when asked to lift up those units as a playmaker, something he’s struggled with before.
There’s a middle ground for Murray that the Nuggets must thread this season. They must get enough out of him, especially early on, to establish the pecking order, build good habits, and learn what they need from a playoff rotation. That means Murray shouldering responsibility and hitting the ground running.
But the Nuggets also need to keep Murray fresh enough for the playoffs. Because in the end, that’s what he’s in Denver to be – a playoff killer, a difference maker, a pressure release valve for Nikola Jokic when the going gets rough. If the Nuggets had to choose whether the best of Murray occurred in the regular season or the playoffs, they will choose the latter every time.
Of course, they shouldn’t have to make that choice. That’s what being a max contract player means. Murray begins his four-year, $208 million contract extension this season that runs through the 2028-29 season. Denver’s hoping to get the best of Murray during that stretch, not just what he can give when he’s at his peak physical state for six to eight weeks later in the year.
To match up with the best teams in the NBA, it’s been proven that having Nikola Jokic isn’t enough. He needs the right help around him. For a long time, that help has been Murray, and that’s come with both the good and the bad that makes Murray such a polarizing player.
But when the Blue Arrow is flying, there are few players more dangerous in the NBA than Jamal Murray at his best. The Nuggets are hoping his best is still to come.
