Jamal Murray put up stinker after stinker for Canada in the recent Olympic games, but that doesn’t deter Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke from having his star point guard’s back. Kroenke attributed Murray's struggles during the Olympics and the team’s second-round playoff exit in 2024 largely to lingering health issues.
In an article by Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, the 44-year-old executive emphasized the importance of seeing the big picture and avoiding a narrow perspective.
“When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents’) best shot. And if you’re not 100% and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is,” said Kroenke. " But I know he wasn’t 100%. I know getting him back there is a big step toward seeing the Jamal who was throwing up triple-doubles in the NBA Finals.”
Kroenke said he had to consider the last two years, a run at the Finals in 2023 and two tough series in the 2024 NBA playoffs.
“The amount of games that he’s played, the amount of games that all of our guys have played, and the wear and tear on their bodies. So I think that showed up toward the end of the regular season,” added Kroenke. “It definitely trickled into the playoffs. And Jamal was also pretty banged up. I think that’s something that gets underestimated because of how tough he is as a person. He was playing through some dings, some pretty good dings, that probably would keep most people out of games.”
Nuggets remain confident in Murray’s bounce-back
To say that the former Kentucky Wildcat struggled mightily in the Olympics is an understatement. With how Murray was playing, he didn’t seem fit to be on the court, let alone represent his country on the biggest sports stage.
In the Paris tournament, the Canadian guard averaged 5.7 points on 33% shooting in the first three games. He delivered another dud in a crucial quarterfinal game: seven points, five rebounds, and three turnovers while shooting 3-for-13 from the field.
Nevertheless, the Nuggets brass does not hold Murray’s Olympic performance against him and sees the silver lining in an otherwise horrible showing.
“Jamal’s a great player, one of the best in the NBA, and however he felt personally that the Olympics were for him, just reading some of his quotes, I know he was frustrated a little bit. So I have no doubt that he’ll use that the right way for motivation going into the season,” the team president added.
The 27-year-old Murray has one year left in his contract that pays over $36 million next season. He is eligible for a four-year, max contract extension worth more than $50 million annually.
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Will “playoff Jamal” return?
The Canadian guard has been down this road before. The Blue Arrow missed a part of 2020-21 and the entire 2021-22 season because of a torn ACL injury. Two years later, he was holding the Larry O’Brien trophy up high and regarded as one of the most clutch performers in the league.
There are no guarantees whether the Nuggets can be champions again, but their star guard is just 27 years old and approaching the prime of his career. If this is just the wear and tear of basketball, as Kroenke puts it, fans have not seen the last of Jamal. And if history’s taught us anything, it’s that Murray loves a good comeback story.
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