The Denver Nuggets are still searching for their rhythm, and Monday night in Houston was another reminder that the pieces haven’t quite lined up yet. After winning four of their previous five, Denver came out flat and took a 10-point loss to the Rockets. It was also another night where the offense never really found its usual gear.
That’s been a noticeable shift from last season. The Nuggets scored 100 points or fewer only twice in 82 games a year ago, but they’ve already hit that mark twice in nine games this season. The attack has clearly slipped, even if one guy keeps trying to drag it back into place.
Jamal Murray was that guy against Houston. The All-Star guard poured in 38 points while the rest of the supporting cast struggled to keep pace. Nikola Jokic saw it plainly afterward and made it clear who he thinks is setting the tone.
"He's amazing," Jokic said about Murray. "I think decision-making, shot-making-he's a pure scorer.
He's definitely playing at a high level right now and we need to follow him. He's definitely our leader right now and everybody needs to step up and follow him."
That’s a pretty direct message from Jokic: Murray is carrying the standard, and the rest of the roster has to match it. Right now, it often looks like Murray is the one consistently playing at the top level while others are a step behind. He’s done his part by leading with production; the next step is getting the rest of the group to catch up.
The numbers back up just how sharp Murray has been. Through nine games, he’s averaging 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 49.3% from the field and 50.7% from three-point range.
That three-point mark leads all NBA players with at least 40 attempts, and he’s been as efficient as anyone to open the season. Even so, Denver sits at just 5-4.
Murray, though, made it clear that individual production only goes so far when the team isn’t finishing the job. After the loss, he said he’d take a win over a big scoring night without one.
"Yeah, but I want to win," Murray said. "So if I have, you know, the last couple of games, I think I had like 14 points, 16 points, and we won convincingly.
I'd rather that than have 40 and lose. Like I said, that's where my mind is at.
I really want to win. I don't know where our record is compared to recent years, if this is a good start or a bad start, but just very winnable games."
That’s where the Nuggets are right now: Jokic and Murray are doing their jobs at a high level, but the team still hasn’t put it all together. Denver has only had a few games this season where everything has clicked, and until the rest of the lineup starts pulling its weight, the results are going to stay uneven.
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The concern for Denver is not just the rumor itself, but how quickly it can turn into a bigger organizational issue if the uncertainty lingers. Jokic remains the franchise centerpiece, and any hint that his timeline could be less secure naturally draws attention from other teams, including Golden State, while putting even more pressure on the Nuggets to steady things on the court and keep the conversation from drifting beyond basketball. [Read more 🡒]