When you think of Jamal Murray, you visualize what he’s accomplished in the playoffs.
There was the 2020 NBA Bubble, where he emasculated both the Utah Jazz and L.A. Clippers in back-to-back 3-1 series comebacks. The man had two separate 50-point performances and another 40-burger. There was the Denver Nuggets‘ 2023 championship run, where he averaged approximately 27 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. His 34-point triple-double in Game 3 of those NBA Finals remains one of the cleanest and most efficient offensive performances we’ve ever seen on the Association’s biggest stage.
At nearly every turn, when the Nuggets have needed someone to take responsibility off Nikola Jokić’s plate in the crucible of the postseason, Murray has answered the bell and then some. There’s a reason this dynamic duo is considered the NBA’s best in the 2020s to many.
We haven’t been able to say the same thing about Murray in the regular season, though. Not even close.
A notorious slow starter, Murray has had a reputation for “playing himself into shape.” We don’t usually see him reach his top shotmaking and playmaking form until around January. For someone who is supposed to be Jokić’s Robin over the course of a grueling 82-game schedule, this created an unfortunate dynamic in which Jokić and some of the other Nuggets have been forced to unnecessarily exert themselves more in the early portions of their respective seasons to compensate for Murray not pulling his weight.
To be clear, I’ve never agreed with the sentiment that Jokić doesn’t have enough help because Murray has technically always had superstar talent.
The issue many gloss over outside Denver, specifically because of how Murray performs in the second season, is that he has most often waited to fully unleash his superstar talent until the spring, leaving Jokić on an island for significant stretches when the Nuggets are trying to establish themselves in the standings. In turn, by the time Murray was ready to really hoop, the other Nuggets had already started to burn themselves out.
Too little, too late.
Murray is no longer asking Jokić and his Nuggets teammates to cover for him on the group project due at the midterms. He, for once, is the star student getting everyone an A grade because he buried his nose in the books and actually studied the material. Murray’s Western Conference Player of the Week honors (a career first) to start this December are but a tip of the iceberg for his play as a deserving first-time All-Star.
Murray is realizing his full potential on a consistent basis from the jump. That means Jokić and company get to keep more gas in the tank, making the Nuggets that much more dangerous than they already are:
At the time of this writing, Murray is averaging 25 points, 4.5 rebounds, and nearly seven assists, which are all career highs. He’s 11th in assists, 16th in scoring, and he’s doing this on the elusive and hyper-efficient 50-40-90 shooting splits while averaging the highest effective field goal percentage (.597) of his career by far. Essentially, Murray is firing on every cylinder whenever Jokić either decides to defer to him or when he’s keeping the Nuggets offense humming as Jokić rests on the bench without everything falling apart.
In all honesty, Murray is not just playing like a first-time All-Star, a.k.a. one of the NBA’s 24 best players. (Which he should be a lock for.) Right now, the crafty point guard has a genuine case for an All-NBA team, a.k.a. one of the league’s 15 best players. It’s no wonder the 17-6 Nuggets, who have the NBA’s top offense, are off to their best start in franchise history despite missing Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun for several weeks.
It’s because Murray has picked up the slack and then some.
Anyone who has paid a modicum of attention to Murray over the years understands he has always had this elite level of play within him, night in and night out. He simply had to put it together and start carrying himself like the worthy star and leader he always has been. So, it’s time we lay nicknames like “Bubble Murray” and “Playoff Murray” to rest for good.
Murray has finally brought his trademark big-game magic to the regular season, too.
Shootaround
This was Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.