The Denver Nuggets undoubtedly have the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic, but have been unable to replicate their 2023 title run. This postseason, they went toe-to-toe against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder but fell in seven games, getting routed in the finale 125-93.
With Jokic doing it all for the Nuggets (he averaged a triple-double in the regular season and finished second in the MVP race), they have a lethal primary weapon whom teams fear. However, according to Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, what the Nuggets lack is a supreme secondary option who can provide the team with a reliable scoring option when Nikola is off the floor or facing double teams.
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“The Truth” shared that he doesn’t believe dynamic guard Jamal Murray is that man, and the time has arrived for the team to take a long look at his performance and determine if he is truly the right fit to lead this team alongside “The Joker.”
The need to upgrade the roster
Murray, the Nuggets’ 6’4″ guard with a penchant for knocking down big-time shots in crunchtime, has been an integral player, helping the team win it all in 2023. While he continues to put up solid numbers, Jamal’s inconsistent play in this year’s playoffs was on full display. The Canadian averaged just 20.7 points and shot an inefficient 40 percent from the field, including a dismal 30 percent from beyond the arc.
In Game 7 of the West semis, when Denver’s season was on the line, Murray finished with a subpar 13 points, going 6-for-16 from the floor. The Kentucky product’s performance in that game convinced Pierce to cast doubt on Jamal’s ability to be a true superstar in this league.
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“I got to upgrade. You gonna up the best player in the league, and I got to get better. I got to put some pieces around him, and for these next two years, we got to go for it,” the 2008 NBA Finals MVP said. “I think they need to find a way to upgrade. And if that’s got to be moving Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray.”
Nuggets have the core pieces
Paul explained that the Nuggets have the core pieces to contend every season: Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun. In addition to those three, Denver may explore what packages they can get in return for Murray and young forward Michael Porter Jr.
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“I think the mainstay obviously is ‘Joker,’ and I think you got to keep Aaron Gordon. Outside of that, if I can upgrade, I love Jamal Murray, but Jamal Murray got a… like, he just… I don’t know which Jamal Murray is going to show up,”Pierce stated. “And I need somebody that I could count on like with ‘Joker,’ that if I don’t play up to like the super super MVP, that I know he going to come with it. And it’s got to be another player that I can count on, and they don’t have another player like that, you know what I’m saying?”
MPJ was another player who went AWOL in the series against OKC. After averaging 18.2 points on 50 percent shooting in the regular season, he averaged a horrendous 7.4 points and made only 32 percent of his shots against the Thunder.
“Michael Porter Jr., I just felt like… maybe, I don’t know if it was injury, but he didn’t play with the necessary intensity that you need in the playoffs. You know what I’m saying? To win,” Paul continued. “He didn’t seem present. It was just too many games he wasn’t there. Like, if you’re not making threes, I’m not tripping. But be on the defensive end, how many rebounds do you have? No presence. No presence at all.”
MPJ will be owed $38 million next season, while Murray will rake in $46 million; that’s a lot of money to commit to two players who faltered this postseason. The Nuggets have the talent needed to win another title, but their moves this offseason will determine their fate.