One of the goals of the Denver Nuggets this offseason was to get more ball control on the roster to alleviate some pressure and wear and tear on Jamal Murray. The Nuggets' All-Star point guard was getting worn down in the playoffs, and head coach David Adelman took note. The Nuggets are already off to a great start in getting Murray off the ball to start the year, and it will pay dividends as the season turns into the playoffs.
In 2025-26, Murray was 7th in on-ball minutes, at 6.4 minutes per game. He spent a good chunk of that time facing pressure while bringing the ball up the court, and the Nuggets didn't have a backup plan outside of using Nikola Jokic as the point-center. And when the Nuggets took on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, they made it apparent that someone else on the Nuggets had to step up their ball control to free up Murray from the added-pressure.
The Nuggets are spreading the ball control around
After the first seven games of the year, the data shows Adelman took it to heart and made it a priority to get Murray some help. Murray doesn't rank inside the top-20 in the NBA in on-ball minutes, and he certainly wasn't on the ball enough in the Nuggets' eighth game, a 114-102 win against the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City, to climb up the ladder.
Adelman had said he wanted to get Christian Braun involved in bringing the ball up the floor to initiate the offense, and he has. Aaron Gordon has also taken over some of the duties on the in-bound pass to bring the ball up the court, and it hasn't had any noticeable negative effects so far.
Murray has looked great off the ball
Murray has had no problem creating his own shots on the ball, but he's looked fantastic off the ball, often finding space to knock down a three. And knock them down, he has. Murray is shooting what would be a career-best 49.2% from beyond the arc after the first eight games, after finishing last year with a career-high 43,5% from deep. He's averaging 24.3 points, and he's been more active on the boards than ever, pulling in 5.5 rebounds, well above his 3.9 career average.
And having less pressure to face when bringing the ball up the court has paid off with a boost for Murray on defense. He's looked fresh and has been playing great on the perimeter, and he's even helped out on switches in the paint, like he did against the Pacers, to help alter a shot that turned into a missed bucket in the paint.
It was a smart move by Adelman to get Murray some help, and it's paying off with perhaps the best all-around play we've seen from Murray given the defensive effort. Plus, Gordon and Braun will be more comfortable with the ball-control duties once the playoffs begin, and the defense gets turned up a notch.
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