Nuggets guard Monte Morris fueled speculation on Friday night that Jamal Murray will soon make his season debut. Morris said Murray is “ready” to play after rehabbing from an ACL tear suffered last April, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post writes.
“His mental (acumen) is there,” Morris said. “He’s ready to get back out there. He’s looked good. He’s dunking and everything, (with) both legs. It’s a matter of time, I guess, but hopefully we can get him back.”
Earlier this week, coach Michael Malone said the team was “keeping all options open” regarding Murray’s status. Murray has been participating in workouts with the team.
“I don’t think we need to paint ourselves into a corner and make any definitive decisions right now because this is not a mile race where it’s four laps and it’s over,” Malone said on Wednesday. “We have no idea where the finish line is. Until we have a better idea of that, let’s leave all options on the table and see what happens on a day-to-day basis.”
Malone reiterated that approach on Friday. While Murray is “making great progress,” Malone would not commit to using his star point guard in any remaining regular season contests.
“We’re not shutting down Jamal Murray,” Malone said. “This is not a black-and-white issue. We’re not running a race with a definitive finish line. Who knows what the seasons going to look like after four games? Are we going to be the playoffs? Are we going to be in the play-in? Who knows? That’s yet to be determined. Jamal is getting better every day. Trust me, we all want him back. I want him back. We’re a better team with Jamal Murray.”
Denver currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, which would allow the team to avoid the play-in tournament.
Hype to see this kid back on the court & his 3 lettered friend too
Just don’t see him much of a factor unless the Nuggets get to WCF. it will take him that long to get back into shape.
Even on one leg he’s better than what they have at the moment in terms of reserve guards* and that’s where he should be, coming off the bench with minute restrictions for the time being
*5’9″ Marcus Howard gives you nothing but streaky shooting and defensive liability.
*Bryn Forbes – see above.
*Austin Rivers is a decent on ball defender but other than a hundred jab steps doesn’t offer much offensively other than a monthly drive to the rim.
*Facu is the only Nugget who has negative net rating EVEN playing alongside Jokic. A great guy and a pesky defender though, just lacking the shooting, finishing and height to be effective on D.
*That leaves Davon Reed who is ineligible to play during the playoffs and is arguably the closest thing to a ‘two-way’ guard they have. So, yes, they’d like Murray back.
Denver’s defense has been dreadful since the all-star break, so their only hope is to either tighten that up with some effort or to try and outscore the opponent.
Jokic just needs someone to hit an open shot.
Agree with a lot of what you’ve said but I wouldn’t call Forbes a streaky shooter. His defense is pretty bad but I’d still prefer him over Barton.
Facu gives it his all but really happy Malone stopped playing him.
I didn’t realize Reed was ineligible for the playoffs! That’s sad to hear.
Nugs D is so bad they’ve actually had use for Austin Rivers lol.
Nugs need to make a few trades this summer.
A lot of Nuggets fans very down on Will. He does make boneheaded plays every game. It’s not just one-off mistakes though, it’s the constant lack of boxing out and the lacklustre effort to get back on D amongst other habits. He’s still offering way more than Forbes does though. There’s a reason he didn’t get playoff minutes for Milwaukee.
He’s being asked to do so much – he’s effectively the only other Nugget who can generate his own offense consistently – Bones is getting there. He’s just not good enough to be a second or even fourth option on a winning team.
Many are saying when Murray and MPJ get back Will can go back to being a fifth option. I actually think they need a defensive guard in there, especially if Murray takes a while to develop lateral agility. I’ve heard some clamouring for Gary Harris to be back but I don’t think Gary is a starter. They should be looking to the draft for a 6’6″/8″ defender who can hit free throws and cut.
I’d love to see Harris back with the nugs if he shoots as well as he did this year. Nugs need a solid 2 way guard badly
I rather say Murray will need 6 months to get back in shape so probably will be at full strength in the first few weeks of next season, whatever he plays or not this year, he won’t be anywhere near his level… but, he can still help to certain degree!
He’s dunking with both legs? This I have to see 👀
Nuggets need a point guard, period. All the other guys with ‘PG’ before their name are not point guards. Playoff ball is a different beast and they need Murray’s IQ and leadership on the floor to do anything. Joker needs that other dimension to get through the challenges of a series. Hopefully he’s ready to go soon.
I would love to see Murray get back on the court. If he does it should be 15 minutes off the bench maximum. I just think there’s not enough time to really help. I can’t get Derrick Rose out my head and what happened to him. Please be careful Jamal.