1 question for every Nuggets starter as the playoffs and offseason approach
By Ben Handler
Jamal Murray: Can you rise to the occasion yet again?
It’s pretty amazing to think about what we’ve seen Jamal Murray do in the playoffs, then consider that he’s never even made an All-Star team. He’s the definition of a playoff riser in a league that’s full of the opposite.
The playoffs are a collection of small samples and it’s easy for fluky outcomes to happen. But Murray has consistently gone from being a pretty good player in the regular season, to a generational player in the playoff.
His numbers and efficiency go up across the board when the playoffs begin each year to the point it’s just expected now. It’s perfectly evidenced by his player efficiency rating, a pedestrian 16.8 in the regular season, that jumps to an elite 21.9 for his playoff career.
But is it really fair to expect him to be able to do this over and over again? Murray’s latest injuries have kept him out for the past five games and are starting to become worrisome.
We all just assume we’ll get the usual playoff-Murray once April 20th hits, but if he’s not able to raise his game a level, things will be a lot harder this time around for the defending champs. But some guys are just built for the moment, and luckily, it seems like Jamal Murray is one of those dudes.