Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Jamal Murray rounding into form after sluggish start

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 5:11 AM ET

Jamal Murray has been a notoriously slow starter his entire career. Lest we forget, he missed 16 straight field goals as a rookie before turning the tide and making the All-Rookie Second Team.

And he's been a slow starter nearly every year since his rookie campaign, this season included. Through the first two months, the Canadian guard shot a mediocre 32.6 percent from three, and his struggles were reflected in the Nuggets' poor start.

Like clockwork, Murray has regained his rhythm in December. Through five games this month, he's averaging 19.4 points on 45/43/93 shooting splits to go with 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals. During the Nuggets' 130-129 win over the Kings on Monday, Murray led his team with 28 points, including two clutch shots in the final minute. The Nuggets trailed by 10 in the final four minutes until Murray helped them storm back with a 14-3 spurt to close out the Kings.

JAMAL MURRAY FOR THE WIN.

pic.twitter.com/ZfiZTVFVM9
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 17, 2024

It was the type of vintage Murray performance fans have been accustomed to seeing over the past few years. Case in point: his two game-winning shots against the Lakers in last year's playoffs.

After the game, NBA TV's Greg Anthony explained why Murray is the key to the Nuggets' title chances, not Nikola Jokic.

"If you think of Denver being a great team, the conversation starts with Jokic, but it ends with Murray," Anthony said. "That's the one guy Jokic defers to. He knows he needs Jamal Murray to play at a high level. And when they've been at their best, Murray is been a guy who hits big shots and controls the tempo down the stretch."

To Anthony's point, Murray has been Denver's go-to option in clutch moments over the last five years or so. That's precisely why the franchise had good reason to be concerned about his early season struggles. Even more so than his poor field-goal percentage, Murray wasn't looking to be aggressive in two-man actions with Jokic, deferring way too much to Denver's role players. It's easy to forget that Murray (410) attempted only four fewer shots than Jokic (414) during the 2023 playoffs, which ended with a championship.

If Murray can build on his form, the Nuggets will be a viable threat to challenge the Thunder and Mavericks for a spot in the 2025 NBA Finals.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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