When will Jamal Murray return? Exploring injured star's recovery timeline

The Denver Nuggets suffered an early-season injury blow as Jamal Murray is sidelined with a hamstring issue. Murray injured himself during the Nuggets' 123-101 win over the Chicago Bulls at home on Saturday (November 4). He played nine minutes before exiting the contest.

Murray didn't play against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday (November 6). The Nuggets initially said his absence will last one game. However, the team's head coach, Michael Malone, has now revealed concerning news about the team's lead point guard.

Malone said that Murray's injury isn't a one or two-game absence issue. It's likely to stay for a lengthy period, something the Nuggets don't fancy.

"We’ll kind of continue to talk to our doctors, but his injury is not a one- or two-game injury,” Malone said (via Denver Post). "That’s what I do know. This will be something that will be longer than we would like … You have to have the big picture in mind and make sure we’re putting him in position to get healthy before he comes back.

"Because this is an injury that, if you keep having recurring hamstring injuries or soft tissue injuries, they can linger and become even worse. And that’s the one thing we do not want to happen."

The good thing is this wasn't a lingering problem that was aggravated. Malone confirmed it was an in-game incident. However, that doesn't change Murray's return status, which could take weeks.

Exploring Jamal Murray's tentative recovery timeline for hamstring injury

Hamstring injuries can take time to heal. Several players who have dealt with a strain have taken weeks to recover and return to on-court action. It's also an easy injury to aggravate if not given enough time to heal. Luckily, the Nuggets have ample time to give Jamal Murray the time he needs to complete his recovery process.

It's only two weeks since the season began, so the Nuggets can afford to give him an extended recovery period and have him at 100% health when he returns. As for Murray's return timeline, he could be out for three to eight weeks.

He was pulled out immediately when Jamal Murray suffered the injury, so it's likely a mild to moderate strain, which could take a month or two to heal. However, if it's a grade 3 tear or strain, Murray could miss at least three months.

We will have more clarity on this issue once specifics of the injury are reported upon further evaluations.