The Denver Nuggets have leaned hard on Jamal Murray to open the season, and through 10 games he’s looked every bit like the player keeping them afloat.
Denver is 6-4, with the NBA’s 10th-ranked offense and 21st-ranked defense, but Murray has been operating at a level that’s impossible to ignore. He’s averaging 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 50.9% from the field and a league-best 51.3% from three-point range among players with at least 50 attempts. He’s already scored 30 or more points in half of his games.
After the Nuggets’ latest win over the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach David Adelman made it clear he sees exactly what everyone else is seeing.
"It’s what he’s been doing the whole start of the season. He’s been one of the best players in the NBA.
Period," Adelman said. "The efficiency was outrageous.
We went to him in a lot of different ways in different spots. You know, he’s an All-Star.
He’s an all-time player. I just thought he put it on his shoulders ...
The guy has just been incredible in the first ten games."
That came after Murray put together another huge night, finishing with 30 points and taking over when Memphis tried to claw back from a big deficit. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Denver close it out.
"Jamal’s been our most consistent player. That’s the bottom line.
I’d say probably on both ends, but especially offensively, he’s carried us. Plus-11, 30 [points], and 8 [assists].
He’s a stud," Adelman said.
The numbers back up the eye test. Murray has been Denver’s top offensive weapon, but there’s also been a noticeable jump on the defensive end. Cameron Johnson pointed it out two weeks ago after just five games.
"He’s been bringing it [defensively] ... and it’s really important for us," Johnson said.
For now, Murray has been the one Nuggets player who has consistently separated himself from the pack. He’s tracking toward a second straight All-Star selection, and if Denver is going to make real noise this season, the rest of the roster has to meet him where he is.
In Other News...
Nuggets Already Look Smarter For Betting On Cam Johnson
The Nuggets decision to lean into Cameron Johnson instead of Peyton Watson is already looking like the kind of move that can pay off in more ways than one. Johnson has settled in quickly on the offensive end for Denver, giving the team the spacing and shot-making it wanted, while the broader deal also brought back future draft picks and reshaped the roster with an eye on what comes next.
Watson, meanwhile, has had a rougher start in Cleveland, where the shooting efficiency just has not followed him yet. For Denver, the early returns are encouraging not only because Johnson is fitting the on-court need, but because the front office also created more financial breathing room for the seasons ahead, a detail that could matter just as much once the roster starts getting expensive again. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Have A Grizzlies Trade Idea Fans Will Want To Debate
The Nuggets are always looking for ways to sharpen the edges of a roster built around Nikola Jokic, and a new trade concept does exactly that by targeting two familiar problem areas at once: bench shooting and cap flexibility. The idea would bring in a pair of young Grizzlies guards, with one offering immediate value as a perimeter threat and the other giving Denver a possible answer at backup point guard.
For a team that has had to squeeze every bit of production out of the edges of its rotation, the appeal is easy to see. The proposal also comes with a financial angle that matters in Denver, since moving off Zeke Nnaji and attaching future draft capital would be part of the cost of making the numbers work. It is the kind of speculative deal that will split opinion, because the Nuggets would be betting on fit and function rather than proven impact. [Read more 🡒]
Jamal Murray Is Rolling As Nuggets Keep Juggling The Back End
Jamal Murray has been doing his part to steady Denver while the Nuggets continue sorting out the back end of the roster. The guards recent play has drawn attention around the league, and with the team still managing depth decisions, the focus in Denver has stayed on keeping the rotation balanced and the supporting pieces ready when called upon.
That backdrop got a little busier when three Nuggets were sent to the G League, another reminder that the team is still juggling personnel even as Murray keeps rolling. For a club trying to stay sharp through the grind, the challenge is less about one hot stretch than finding enough consistency behind it, and that makes every move on the margins worth watching. [Read more 🡒]