On the latest edition of Locked on Nuggets, we broke down Jamal Murray’s resurgence, what it means, how Murray approaches things, and whether it’s OK for him to start slow.
Here are ten things we said in Monday’s Locked on Nuggets. For more, go listen to the episode on YouTube or whever you get podcasts.
- “Jamal Murray has had fifteen incredible, insane games. He has had fifteen of the best playoff games I have seen any player have.”
- “Would you rather Jamal start fast and not be a killer in the playoffs? Because there are lots of guys like that.”
- “If he continues to bring that, it doesn’t just have to be like thirty-four and five the entire time. It can just be twenty-five and seven. The Nuggets always have a chance.”
- “Jamal has been phenomenal in the month of December. He’s been terrific. The guy’s got to get credit for how he’s played lately.”
- “Jamal Murray wants people to bow at the altar. He wants to go to war with people. That’s what gets him going.”
- “The question to me is, is it OK to just kind of shrug it off as, ‘Yeah, this is just what I do’? I don’t know.”
- “Jokic is not alone in that guys who take on this amount of offensive responsibility do not have enough in the tank to do the stuff defensively.”
- “Teams have figured out Denver—not enough to beat them. They’re still over .500. But they know how to attack Denver.”
- “The Nuggets are making a bet on Jamal Murray, but it’s a tough bet to make when you’re being paid as a top-fifteen player.”
- “If he is at that level, the Nuggets can win a championship. Everything else can fall into place.”
If there’s one big lesson from Murray’s resurgence, it’s that you have to be patient with NBA players. We’re too quick in 2024 (soon to be 2025) to declare players washed.
Murray is averaging 22 points and 6 assists while shooting 42% from 3-point range in December. He’s stepping up just when Denver needs it most and it fundamentally changes how good Denver can be. The Pistons on Saturday were threatening at several times to take control of the game, but Murray’s scoring kept them at bay.
Murray might go through another rough stretch and he continues to battle a wide range of maladies. But when he brings it, he’s still a big-time player.
