Jamal Murray “wants to be back,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters after his team lost 136-130 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Ball Arena.
Malone, when asked if supporters still hoped for Murray’s comeback this season, responded, “Yeah, I mean keep hope alive, as Jesse Jackson (said).” Monte Morris, another player on the team, sounded even more upbeat.
A half hour before Friday’s tipoff, Denver’s two best wing players, Murray and Porter, worked out together on the court. However, the intensity level of their workouts was very different.
Murray worked on his shooting while being smothered by Nuggets defenders. Porter fired in a confined area while employees shook balls for him.
As he was exiting the platform, a reporter questioned Nuggets coach Michael Malone if or whether the same “hope” applied to Porter Jr. Malone’s response was briefer.
The Denver Nuggets are on Their Way to the Playoffs
Without Jamal Murray at point guard all season, the Denver Nuggets are still headed for the postseason. On Friday, one of Murray’s teammates hinted that the guard could be nearing a return.
Guard Monte Morris of the Nuggets has stated that guard Jamal Murray appears “ready to play” and that Murray is now working out and dunking with both legs.
Morris was quoted by Sean Keeler of the Denver Post as saying, “His mental (acumen) is there.”
He’s raring to go for another round. To the contrary, he has been looking quite sharp. He’s doing a double-leg dunk and everything. It’s just a matter of time before we can win him back, I suppose.
Morris may be making hasty assumptions. With Malone reluctant to say whether Murray will play or not before the end of the season, the Broncos’ coach sounded considerably more cautious.
As of right now, things look better than they were a week or two ago, but Murray still doesn’t appear to be close to suiting up. Murray suffered an ACL injury in April of last year and is currently making a full recovery.
Brief views of him in the gym have revealed that he is in good shape, but the tempo of an NBA game is very different from that of a regular workout.
Conclusion
Morris might be making a hasty judgement. Denver’s coach, Michael Malone, sounded more cautious, saying that he wouldn’t say whether Murray would play or not before the season ended.
Although things look better than they did a week or two ago, Murray still does not appear to be close to donning his uniform.
Murray suffered an ACL tear in April of 2018 and is currently making a full recovery. In the few workout videos we’ve seen, he’s looked good, but the pace of an NBA game is very different from that of the gym.
