3 reasons why Denver Nuggets should be worried about Jamal Murray's extended absence

#1 The Denver Nuggets are not a better offensive team without Jamal Murray

Nikola Jokic #15 and Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets celebrate

Although the Denver Nuggets had a better winning percentage without Jamal Murray (.667 in 24 games) than with him (.646 in 48 games), the team did not have a better offensive game without the 24-year-old guard.

Jamal Murray was having a career year on offense last year, following up his performances from the 2020 NBA Playoffs with career-best averages of 21.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He also put up career highs in field-goal percentage (47%), three-point shooting percentage (40%) and Offensive Rating (116).

What will the Nuggets look like when Jamal Murray returns from injury?@adaniels33 thinks their top 3 stars can make them a threat in the Western Conference. #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/D3l0HBvuJ3
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 12, 2021

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Of course, this is all debatable, but the numbers still suggest that the Denver Nuggets' offense with Jamal Murray was better (with a 118.5 Offensive Rating) than without him (116.9) in the 2020-21 NBA season.

The Denver Nuggets' defense also allowed more points per 100 possessions without Jamal Murray than it did with him (not the best defender) on the court. Without him, the Defensive Rating of the Denver Nuggets was at 113.2 in the 2020-21 NBA season, while Jamal Murray's presence (48 games) helped the team have a slightly better Defensive Rating (112.8).

The Denver Nuggets should definitely have concerns regarding Jamal Murray's long absence due to injury, as the team definitely need him on offense. The 2021 NBA offseason was not highly impactful on the Denver Nuggets' end, and that might show some confidence in Murray's long-awaited comeback.

Nikola Jokic is like Peyton Manning, thinking two or three moves ahead and putting defenders exactly where he pleases.Jokic must recreate his magnificent MVP magic to keep the Denver Nuggets afloat without co-star Jamal Murray (via @basketbllnews): https://t.co/bnskht4cuZ
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) September 7, 2021

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The team might still struggle without him, although the reigning NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic, could be enough to navigate the regular season against uncompetitive teams.

Replicating last year's 47-25 record in the NBA regular season might not be impossible without Jamal Murray, but they still had him for 48 games and went 31-17 with him as the starting point guard.

For the upcoming season, the Denver Nuggets might fall down the order in the Western Conference if Murray misses more than half of the campaign, which could make them a 5-7 seed or, in the worst case, put the Denver Nuggets into the Play-In positions.

Also read: 5 Bold predictions for Denver Nuggets' 2021-22 NBA season