Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke revealed that Jamal Murray was not at full strength during the 2024 NBA playoffs and the Paris Olympic Games.
Kroenke emphasized that Murray’s health played a significant role in his performance, which fell below expectations in both competitions.
Murray, a key player for the Nuggets, struggled to replicate his usual form during the Olympics. The 2023 NBA champion averaged just 6 points on 29% shooting from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc, along with 3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 20.5 minutes per game.
This was a stark contrast to his impressive NBA season, where he averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on 48.1% shooting, including 42.5% from three-point range.
The Canadian national team, with Murray in the lineup, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by host nation France, losing 82-73 despite an undefeated group stage run.
Murray’s underwhelming Olympic performance came on the heels of a challenging NBA playoff run where he averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 38.5 minutes per game.
Kroenke addressed Murray’s struggles, attributing them to physical challenges. “When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents’) best shot,” Kroenke said, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
He added, “And if you’re not 100% and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is. But I know he wasn’t 100%.”
The Nuggets president underscored the toll that continuous play has on athletes like Murray, who has been dealing with lingering injuries.
“The amount of games that he’s played — the amount of games that all of our guys have played — and the wear and tear on their bodies,” Kroenke explained, acknowledging that these factors likely contributed to Murray’s diminished performance toward the end of the season and into the playoffs.
Kroenke also highlighted Murray’s resilience, noting that the point guard played through injuries that would have sidelined many others.
“Jamal was also pretty banged up,” Kroenke said. “I think that’s something that gets underestimated because of how tough he is as a person. He was playing through some dings, some pretty good dings, that probably would keep most people out of games.”
