Injury Updates Given On Jamal Murray And Michael Porter Jr.
Heading into the final month of action of the 2020-21 regular season, the Denver Nuggets were one of the hottest teams in the league and they were making a strong case to be a real championship threat with the presumable league MVP in Nikola Jokic, an emerging star in Jamal Murray and a young talent with star-like potential in Michael Porter Jr.
On April 12, 2021, the Denver Nuggets played the Golden State Warriors, a game that ended up changing the fate of the Nuggets during the 2020-21 season. Not only did Denver lose this game, but they lost Jamal Murray to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Losing in the Western Conference Semifinals that year, the Nuggets prepared for this past season knowing that Murray would likely not be re-joining the team at any point. Michael Porter Jr. had a lot of attention cast on him, as he would be the team’s No. 2 option next to the league’s Most Valuable Player in Nikola Jokic, but then Porter Jr. suffered a back injury in November that required a couple of procedures, ending his season just nine games in.
Things have been tough injury-wise for the Nuggets the last couple of seasons, but everything is starting to come together for them this offseason in anticipation of the 2022-23 season and some positive updates have been given on the status of both Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray as they look to work their way back from injuries.
Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Calvin Booth recently talked with The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov not only about the team’s mindset heading into the new season, but about the status of both Murray and Porter Jr.
“Yeah, they both look promising. We saw Jamal [Murray] play in our gym the other day; he’s moving while cutting well,” Booth said over Murray. “When you have an injury of that nature, you just wonder about the apprehension in certain situations. You’re starting to see that dissipate more, which is good. As long as he’s comfortable moving and exploding and knowing that like he might be in some uncomfortable positions, but he’s not going to hurt himself again, I think that’ll be useful.”
Jamal Murray has been doing on-the-court work for months now as he works his way back from ACL surgery. Recently, Murray was seen playing one-on-one with some of Denver’s recent draft picks this offseason.
“As far as Mike goes, I think he just kind of takes it slow and steady. Feels great,” Booth said of Porter Jr. “He’s shooting. He’s lifting a lot, working on getting healthy. So, I think they’re both in good places.”
When asked if either or both of them would be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season, Booth stated that he “definitely thinks” that both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will be ready to go for the start of the season.
This is a very good sign for the Denver Nuggets and especially the reigning two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic. The last two seasons, Jokic has had to try and carry this team on his back, especially in the playoffs, against some of the best teams in the league.
Now getting his guys back in Porter Jr. and Murray, Jokic can do what he does best while also staying rejuvenated and not having to use all of his energy up during the regular season.
Adding the likes of Bruce Brown, DeAndre Jordan, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith and some rookie first-rounders in Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, the Denver Nuggets truly believe that they can be a real championship threat heading into the 2022-23 season.
