I don’t think people realize how big of a part Jamal Murray is to the Denver Nuggets. Jamal, who is somehow still just 24, sadly tore his ACL Tuesday night in a late night game against the Golden State Warriors.
By now, Many know about Murray’s season-ending injury. However, many do not know how severely this will affect the Denver Nuggets 2021 title aspirations. Although the Nuggets still have a good young roster, including the best passing center of all time in Nikola Jokic and 6’10 shooter Michael Porter Jr, nobody will be able to replace the hole that Jamal Murray will leave.
Jamal Murray was having a career year, averaging 21.2 ppg, 4.0rpg, and 4.8apg. This was extremely impressive considering how slow of a start Murray had to the season. Though Murray has really helped the Nuggets in the regular season, they will really miss him in the playoffs. Murray is able to hit tough shots, unlike many players. He is incredible in and off the dribble and catch and shoot situations. Murray is also one of the best clutch players in the league. Here’s a stat: During the final 30 seconds in a game with a score differential of one possession, Murray has made 7 of 10 field goals which is ranked second in the whole NBA.
Many people who don’t watch the Nuggets close enough will have a hard time understanding that the Nuggets only go as far as Murray goes. This means if Murray is playing an amazing game, the Nuggets will likely win. However, if he is struggling, they will have a hard time getting a win. This is extremely rare for someone who isn’t even the best player on their team.
One last thing that needs to be mentioned is that Jamal Murray has not gotten enough credit for what he has done in his short career. The media, such as ESPN, Sportscenter, and other NBA Instagram and Twitter pages have clearly not understood Murray’s impact.
Recently, there have been a lot of rankings coming out with the best players who are 25 and under. Murray has not been ranked in the top 10 in almost every list. I have the utmost amount of respect for players like Shai Gilgeous Alexander and De’Aaron Fox. However, neither of them has proved what Murray has done in the clutch situations throughout the regular season and playoffs. Although the sports media world may not understand what Murray has done for the Nuggets, they will really, really miss his presence.
The Denver Nuggets are still a good team. They can still win. However, they had a chance to come out of the West this season with Jamal Murray. Sadly, those hopes are now virtually gone. Hopefully, Murray can come back better and stronger than ever. The NBA will miss his exciting fiery playstyle in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
