Report: Nuggets get bad but expected news on Jamal Murray
Nov 8, 2023, 5:03 PM | Updated: 5:04 pm
Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images
The Denver Nuggets will be without Jamal Murray for some time and possibly the rest of November.
A new report from ESPN, sets a tentative timetable for the guard’s return from a hamstring injury at the end of the month.
“The Nuggets are taking a cautious approach to assure there will be no lingering issues with the hamstring, and there’s an expectation that Murray will need three to four weeks to properly heal before returning to play, sources said,” wrote Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider.
Murray, 26, has already missed a game with the injury after leaving Saturday’s contest against the Bulls after getting hurt. The hamstring strain is similar to an issue that he picked up toward the end of training camp. Of course, these are not the first issue with Murray’s legs as he fought off an injury in 2020-21 then came back and tore his ACL—missing two playoff runs.
En route to Denver’s first-ever title, Murray sparked the Nuggets by averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 20 playoff games.
The Nuggets will turn to veteran Reggie Jackson to spell Murray and will hope young guards Collin Gillespie and Julian Strawther step up.
Denver will be in Game 2 without their point guard on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors and the injury will likely cost Murray the rest of the In-Season Tournament’s group stage. After the matchup with Steph Curry and company six of Denver’s next seven are on the road, which lines up with the end of the month and a possible return window for Murray.
The injury will not only significantly impact the chances Murray makes the All-Star Game but also could cost him a chance at end-of-season awards with the new 65-game minimum rule. Murray needs to earn those honors in order to turn his possible max extension into a far richer supermax extension.
