The Denver Nuggets are struggling. With a 3-3 start to the 2024-25 NBA season, they are currently 10th in the Western Conference. Besides the win against strugglers Utah Jazz in their last game, they haven’t looked convincing or anywhere close to the form they displayed as contenders in the past two seasons. Their current roster happens to be the worst rendition of the team since Nikola Jokic’s surge to MVP realms. Has Jamal Murray’s $209 million extension got something to do with the slump?
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On September 11, 2024, Murray signed a four-year $208 million contract extension with the Nuggets. This played out as a natural consequence to his career-best performance in the 2023-24 season. He achieved a career-high in points, averaging 21 per game. He also recorded career highs in assists (6.5), shooting from the field (48.1%), and 42.5% from three-point range.
He is currently the 32nd highest-paid player in the league and the second highest-paid to not make an All-Star team. The Nuggets guard is behind New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby by a little over $600,000.
The decision to give Murray an extension, a big deal to boot, didn’t seem like a bad move considering the synergy he displayed in with three-time MVP Jokic. However, things have not been the same this season.
Murray has had an extremely slow start. With 16.2 points per game, he is averaging the lowest since his rookie season. He’s shooting an abysmal 37% from the field and 30.4% from the three-point range. The drop is glaring and also comes as a surprise considering he’s playing the most minutes since the 2020-21 season.
Denver’s general manager Calvin Booth may already be regretting the call to retain Murray. All while they were unable to retain valuable players in the past two offseasons.
The lack of cap flexibility is the reason the Nuggets weren’t able to retain key players. Bruce Brown joined the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 offseason, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for the Orlando Magic in the 2024 offseason.
The void left by these two players is evident. The Nuggets are sorely missing Caldwell-Pope, whose abilities as a floor-spacer and threat from three-point range were an asset in offense. The result: Denver’s offensive rating went from 5th last season to 12th now.
Murray’s regression has put more burden on Jokic. The Serbian superstar is averaging a career-high 29.8 points along with 12.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game as of now. Jokic is even averaging more three-pointers a game (2.7) than Murray, who has been abysmal at 1.4.
More alarming is that this could lead to the Nuggets wasting a masterful year of Jokic’s prime in an extremely competitive Western Conference.
Denver’s goal for this season was to maintain championship contention and achieve what they did in 2023. That won’t be possible if Murray doesn’t step it up soon.
Could Murray’s bad form hurt Jokic’s prime?
The 2024-25 season marks Jokic’s 10th season in the NBA. He’s 29 years old and getting older with each season. Not all great players have the longevity of LeBron James. And, a lack of help from the supporting cast could waste another year for Jokic.
Denver suffered from injuries in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Murray missed the playoffs on both occasions, recovering from a torn ACL. In the 2021-22 season, Michael Porter Jr. didn’t play, recuperating from back surgery.
Jokic won back-to-back MVP awards in those seasons. They still weren’t able to convert it into a championship due to insufficient assistance from the supporting cast.
Back then, Murray was earning significantly lesser amounts of money than he is now. That allowed the team to add high-level talent around the edges. So, the Nuggets had a serviceable second unit that would pick up the slack when the starters weren’t producing. That isn’t the case this season.
Denver has the worst bench in the entire NBA. The Nuggets’ second unit holds a net rating of -9.2. It is worse than the rating of the 0-6 Jazz, and the 1-5 Milwaukee Bucks.
However, multiple players in the starting lineup have stepped up besides Murray.
Head coach Michael Malone did take evasive action, moving Christian Braun from being a reliable bench player to the starting lineup to replace KCP. And, he’s been amazing so far, averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He is shooting 52.5% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc.
Braun is evidently having a better season than Murray.
Even Aaron Gordan has improved his level of play drastically. He is averaging the most points of his career since his fourth season with the Orlando Magic. The 11-year veteran is averaging 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and shooting 52.9% from the field. He’s been the Nuggets’ second-best player this season.
When the Nuggets play their brand of basketball they are among the top teams in the NBA. They can still make it back and contend for the conference honors and the championship. It all depends on whether or not Murray gets his act together, and how long that takes.
Championship windows won’t stay open for long in the NBA. Murray needs to figure out his game fast or else the Nuggets stand to miss theirs.
