Jamal Murray comes off bench, doesn’t do much in Olympic opener

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray didn’t do much in his Olympic debut for Team Canada on Saturday.

Murray surprisingly came off the bench, and didn’t check in until late in the first quarter against Greece. He finished with eight points on 2-6 shooting in 18 minutes. Murray added three assists and a steal, but also had three turnovers.

Canada beat Greece 86-79 in group play to move to 1-0, and Murray did hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.

Murray, who’s contract situation with the Nuggets this summer has been a popular topic, was outshined by the likes of RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Barrett had 23 points and “SGA” added 21.

Doing it all 👏@shaiglalex earns @ToyotaCanada Drive of the Game Honours for helping lift Canada to their first Olympic win in group play #SMNT | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/9BKgxkVoFL

— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) July 27, 2024

Yes, Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but many expected him and Murray to be a two-headed monster for Canada. Instead that went to Barrett, who now plays for the Toronto Raptors after getting traded by the New York Knicks last season.

Murray was away from Team Canada for undisclosed reasons during some of the warmup period for the 2024 Olympics. It was unknown he’d come off the bench until minutes before the game with Greece.

Nuggets GM Calvin Booth doesn’t think Murray signing a massive $209 million extension with the Nuggets after the season will be a problem, but the delay in a new deal with Denver has some concerned.

Murray is a great player, and was crucial in the Nuggets winning the 2023 NBA title. But without Nikola Jokic in International play, he’s looks merely pedestrian.

It could be the fact he’s still not quite healthy, or it could be playing without Jokic. Regardless, no one expected Jamal Murray to have this small of an Olympic role.

At least, not yet.