Nuggets’ David Adelman provides crucial Jamal Murray update before Game 1

The Denver Nuggets looked vulnerable at various points of the 2024-25 season, but it took a four-game losing streak at the beginning of April and the subsequent firings of general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone to mar the franchise’s reputation in the eyes of the public. Though, as the 2023 NBA champions were landing on what they hope is Rock Bottom, one vitally important player was inactive.

Jamal Murray sustained a hamstring injury and missed six games before returning for the last two contests of the regular season. Is it possible that fans are overlooking the significance of his on-court absence during a time when the Nuggets were drowning in bad optics?

If the star guard was healthy and in the starting lineup, there is always a chance the team avoids the ugly slide, which was put into motion after a gut-wrenching double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 1 (Nikola Jokic posted 61-10-10). Instead of late-game follies, Murray might have treated Denver to some clutch heroics. Malone and Booth could have then been spared their jobs, at least until the offseason.

Although few people are talking about it, the ripple effect that 28-year-old’ss injury potentially had on the organization’s decision-making process, and, by extension, fans’ outlook on the Nuggets, is quite difficult to ignore. All of this is to say, Murray is integral to this team achieving worthwhile success.

That statement might seem obvious by now, given the many memorable moments he has produced in his eight-year Nuggets tenure, most notably in the playoffs. The former top-10 draft pick still feels unappreciated, though. The Nuggets and their fans might be the only ones who truly understand the immense value he brings to the floor.

Fortunately, they will get to see No. 27 in his element now that the postseason has arrived. And apparently, he is in strong standing health-wise.

Nuggets’ Jamal Murray is ready for NBA playoffs

“He’s great,” interim head coach David Adelman said, per Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports, ahead of Saturday’s Game 1 showdown with the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. “I feel great that he feels great. I’m expecting big things from Jamal.”

The conversations revolving around Jamal Murray the last two years have frequently included statements like “Murray must deliver” or “Murray is the X-factor.” While that is undeniably true, it may be unnecessary to say.

He has proven himself fully capable of occupying that role multiple times and is coming off a quietly impressive season in which he averaged a career-high 21.4 points on efficient 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line. Murray also posted 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals (another career-high mark) in 67 games, which is the most contests he has played since 2018-19.

Adelman’s enthusiasm is not merely obligatory. The championship-winning assistant knows what all of Denver knows. This man is dangerous on the hardwood. Murray will look to demonstrate that fact once more when the Nuggets host the Clippers in Ball Arena, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.