Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Josh Kroenke attributed Jamal Murray’s struggles in the playoffs and Olympics to his health, citing an ankle injury “among other things.”
“When you’re playing against the best in the world, whether it’s the NBA playoffs or the Olympics, you’re going to have the best (of your opponents) in your hands,” Kroenke told reporters Wednesday. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “And if you’re not 100 percent and you know you still want to be out there, you’re going to try to fight like Jamal does.
“But I know he wasn’t 100 percent. I know getting him back out there is a big step toward the Jamal who was having triple-doubles in the NBA Finals.”
Murray’s production declined throughout the playoffs, with the Nuggets point guard dealing with a left calf strain. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 18.4 points on 40.3 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from three-point range, in Denver’s second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Murray’s eight-point performance on 3-of-18 shooting in Game 2 against the T-Wolves was the second-lowest postseason performance of his career.
The 27-year-old didn’t have much time to rest, as he joined Canada Basketball’s training camp a month later in preparation for the country’s first Olympic appearance in 24 years.
Murray was expected to form a dynamic duo with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt. Instead, Murray was largely ineffective as a backup, averaging six points, 3.8 assists and three rebounds per game during Canada’s run to the quarterfinals.
“The amount of games he played, the amount of games all our guys played, and the wear and tear on their bodies. I think it showed toward the end of the regular season,” Kroenke said. “It definitely carried over into the playoffs. And Jamal was pretty banged up, too.”
“I think it’s something that’s underrated because of his toughness. He played through some challenges, some really good challenges, that probably would have kept most players out of games.”
