Back in April of 2021 Jamal Murray suffered a torn ACL on his left knee during a game against the Warriors because of which he had to miss the entire 2021-2022 NBA season.
After a year-long absence, the 26-year-old point guard returned to action in October of 2022 and has been a key contributor for the Nuggets since.
Currently Murray is averaging 35 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 40.7 minutes per game for the Denver against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Most recently he had two 37-point games in a row, helping his team take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone revealed that Murray thought that the team was going to trade him after he suffered the injuty.
“For Jamal the biggest thing this year was getting healthy and then being back healthy then getting over the mental hurdle of reminding myself I can get back to not just the level I was at in the Bubble but how do I surpass that,” Malone said.
“I remember being in the bus with him going to the airport after he did the injury in Golden State the next day and he had tears in his eyes and that was the message ‘Hey man you’re going to come back from this and not only are you going to come back, you’re going to be better.’ And in that moment it’s really hard to believe that.
“His first thought was ‘Man, are you guys going to trade me? … I’m damaged goods, are you guys gonna trade me now?’ I hugged him, I said ‘Hell now. You’re ours. We love you. We’re going to help you get back and you’re going to be a better player for it.’
“And I think what he’s doing in these playoffs is just a reminder of a guy that we drafted seven years ago that has continued to find ways to improve and really show out on the biggest stage in the world.”
