With Nikola Jokic going down with a knee injury and expected to miss at least a month, the first inclination may be to heap even more onto the plate of Jamal Murray. Murray is currently the only healthy starter and has been having an exceptional year, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game on outstanding efficiency.
But as great as Murray has looked, the team needs to be careful not to push it. Jamal is operating on another level, clearly in the best shape of his career, and bringing superstar consistency to the floor on a nightly basis.
He has done everything the team could have hoped for and more, plus, with all the injuries, he has continued taking on more recently. But at a certain point, the Nuggets have to be careful about the extra mileage and tread on Jamal’s tires, and he even appeared to be limping around at the end of Monday night's loss in Miami.
This is still a guy who has dealt with injuries for most of his career and hasn’t played in more than 67 games since the 2018-19 season. It feels so good to see Murray start the season the way he has, and they’ll need him more than ever to stay afloat without Jokic in the lineup. But caution must be exercised.
Having Murray and Jokic healthy for playoffs is priority #1
The name of hte game has always been for the Nuggets to be healthy and fresh once the playoffs start. They’ve hit some bumps in the road early in the season, but the overall goal hasn’t changed. Jokic will be back in a month or so, and even if the team falls in the standings, it’s a hole they can climb out of.
Even if they fall to the play-in tournament, if the team is healthy, they should be able to beat any team they’ll face to secure a playoff spot. Seeding is important, but not at the risk of health and energy. The Nuggets can push their guys and fight for the best possible seed, but if that means their stars aren’t 100% for the playoffs, it completely defeats the purpose.
As tempting as it may be to just let Jamal go crazy over the next few weeks, it’s best to hold him back and protect him from himself. He’s going to want to go 40+ minutes a night and single-handedly keep this team afloat in the standings, but that’s not in anyone's best interest.
Ultimately, you have to think cooler heads will prevail, and there will be some compromise. No matter how they limit it, Murray is going to be featured very prominently and will likely put up monstrous numbers over the next month. But the coaching staff needs to watch his minutes closely and keep their eyes on the bigger prize.