Denver Nuggets: When will Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. return?

Denver Nuggets pregames are getting busier. Yes, there is a flurry of ten-day, hardship contracts being offered out across the league and Denver is no exception, but there has been the addition of two more shooters in recent weeks.

Michael Porter Jr. is back on the court, shooting during warm-ups, ditto for Jamal Murray. It’s a promising sign for two players whose return to court might be closer than we realize.

https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1481099110207791106?s=20

Porter Jr. doesn’t have a strict timeline with his back injury, an injury that has little to no consistency in the past, but it’s promising to see him on the court so soon after surgery. MPJ was recently not ruled out for returning this season according to Mike Singer, The Denver Post.

The usual recovery time for a torn ACL is a calendar year which would have Jamal returning in April 2022. But do the Denver Nuggets really want to put pressure on their star guard to return this season?

Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post suggests that while the pair could technically play down the end of this season, it might not be worth it:

"“The Nuggets would rather err on the side of caution than rush MPJ or Murray back to the court. The road to recovery from serious injury can be long, winding and fraught with potholes.“Swishing jumpers alone in pre-game workouts is a long way from making a big shot in Game 6 of the playoffs against the Jazz or Warriors. But it’s more than a dream for Murray and Porter.“For Denver, the real challenge of this season is not being distracted or feeling distraught by all the stuff beyond its control. Every small step forward by Porter and Murray inches the Nuggets closer to being a team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.”"

Tim Connelly and the Denver Nuggets front office recently proved that they aren’t being complacent this season and want to win as many games as possible, but that doesn’t mean mortgaging the future with more injuries.

Denver is in the market for a wing player that can help Nikola Jokic this season and the team when at full strength next season.

Speaking with Kiszla, The Denver Post on the current season, head coach Michael Malone says he’s proud of where the team is at the moment despite the injuries:

"“I know that our fans all think we should be 40-0. That’s just the nature of it. I get it.“But for us to be where we are right now, sixth place in the West, with everything we’ve dealt with? And if you take off any team’s second- and third-best player, in our case Jamal Murray and Michael Porter.”"

Rumors of a potential Bryn Forbes trade are promising. I disagree with trading for Forbes specifically, but there are buy-low players out there that can shore up Denver’s rotation, adding the playoff run this season without damaging any future prospects.

The Denver Nuggets have a relatively easy schedule ahead, playing the LA Clippers and then a back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons in three of their next four games. Assuming they win those three and lose to the surging Memphis Grizzlies, Denver could be sitting above the play-in tournament with a record of 25-21, a great spot to be.