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Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray recently made his long-anticipated regular season return during the Nuggets' season-opening loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Murray missed the entirety of last season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. He suffered the injury in a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2021, and didn't play in the 18 months since then.
Murray’s injury came after he had previously broken out in the 2020 NBA “Bubble” playoffs.
Murray averaged 26.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game on 50.5% shooting in 19 games in the bubble. As a result, many had big expectations from Murray and the Nuggets in 2021. However, due to the timing of his injury being right before the Nuggets' playoff run, Murray missed both the 2021 and 2022 playoffs.
The Nuggets will now hope that with a healthy squad, 2023 could finally be their year.
Jamal Murray’s first game back from injury
On his return to action, Murray showed some rust, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, and one assist on 38.5% (5/13) shooting. He played 26 minutes as the Nuggets surprisingly got blown out 123-102 on the road against a rebuilding Utah Jazz team.
Murray spoke about his return, highlighting his rust:
“I was shaking off the rust obviously. I got some great looks, rushed into them hoping just to get a little rhythm,'' Murray said.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone also spoke about how it would take some time for Murray to get back to his regular self.
"Jamal played exactly how I expected. ... The guy hasn't played in a long time. This is his first NBA game since April 12 two years ago. I'm going to stay with him. I know what he's capable of," Malone said.
It’s only game one, so there's certainly no need to overreact, as Murray should get back to full strength at some point during the season. When he does that, the Nuggets will have a real chance to come out of the West for the first time since 2020.
“I know he’s gonna be really bad for the next 20 games” - Nikola Jokic jokes about Jamal Murray’s return from injury
The mood surrounding Jamal Murray's return from injury has been generally positive as everyone on the Denver Nuggets just seems happy to have him back.
Nuggets superstar big man Nikola Jokic had some fun regarding Murray’s expected struggles.
“I love to play with him, of course. I know he’s gonna be really bad for the next 20 games, but we’re gonna survive,” Jokic said as per Mike Singer of the Denver Post.
Jokic was obviously joking, but Nuggets fans are surely willing to endure Murray’s short-term struggles for the potential long-term benefit of having him back.
The Denver Nuggets' next game will be another road affair on Friday night against defending champions Golden State Warriors.
Guess the Lakers players!
