There was plenty of hand-wringing and skepticism a year ago when the Nuggets gave Jamal Murray a full, max extension, and understandably so, but so far this season, Murray is making the Nuggets look like geniuses with his play.
At the time, Jamal was coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season and an even more disastrous showing for Team Canada in the Olympics. His inconsistency had many wondering if his best days were behind him, and if the team would be better off trying to trade Murray, rather than pay him the four-year, $208 million deal he was asking for.
But Denver’s front office decided to stay the course and keep rolling with the core group that won them the championship in 2023. They believed in Jamal and his ability to get back to playing like an elite guard with many good years ahead of him.
Jamal Murray contract aging like fine wine
Last season was another down year for Murray that ended with another disappointing playoff loss to the Thunder, but since then, Jamal has been a man possessed. He vowed to take on a bigger leadership role and avoid a slow start for once, and he has backed it up. He attacked the offseason with a new hunger, coming into training camp in great shape after organizing workouts and practices with his team during the summer.
He has finally hit the ground running to begin a season, and through the Nuggets’ first 23 games, Murray has played in 22 of them, and is putting up career-high numbers across the board, averaging 25 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game on 51/45/90 shooting.
Just last week, he had one of the most efficient games of all time, scoring 52 points on 10-11 shooting from three-point range. That game, combined with the rest of his week, helped Murray earn Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
So, while the deal didn’t get off to the best start, it’s aging brilliantly, with Murray now looking like one of the best guards in the NBA. Still just 28 years old, if Murray keeps up this newfound motivation, this contract is going to age very well, and by the time it’s all said and done, we may be looking at one of the best value deals in the entire league.