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The Denver Nuggets are going to need Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray active to be considered true title contenders, and they might just get that.
Murray has now reportedly been assigned to the Nuggets’ G-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
After tearing his ACL in April of 2021, Murray has been completely sidelined since. He still has about a month and a half to get in top shape until the Nuggets will need his presence in order to advance in the postseason.
Jamal Murray will practice with the Nuggets’ G League affiliate tomorrow and likely Saturday, I’m told, then he’ll return to Denver. The Nuggets are in the middle of a three-game road trip that ends Friday in Cleveland. Denver assigned Murray to Grand Rapids today.
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) March 15, 2022
The veteran guard made a name for himself in the 2020 NBA bubble, the postseason where teams had to play without fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Murray went off against the Utah Jazz that year, averaging 31.6 points per game in that seven-game series.
Then in the 2020-21 season, Murray was averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game until his injury.
Drafted from the University of Kentucky Wildcats, Murray was the Nuggets' seventh-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Although the Nuggets have been able to get strong guard play from Austin Rivers and Bones Hyland, Murray is going to add a new dimension to the Nuggets, especially given the way MVP Nikola Jokić is playing.
How long Murray’s assignment in the G-League will be is unknown at this time, but it’s wonderful to see he’s very close to returning to the basketball court. And there’s no question he’ll make Denver a stronger NBA championship contender.
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