Despite the 2-0 start in group play for Canada at the Paris Olympics, it’s safe to say Jamal Murray has been underwhelming. The hope was that after a nice layoff following the NBA playoffs, Murray would be healthy and ready to hit the ground running for Canada. In a perfect world, the Olympics would have acted as a bit of a tune-up so that Jamal could show up to training camp ready to have an amazing season.
Suffice it to say, we’ve seen just about the opposite of that ideal situation so far in Paris. Murray has looked out of shape, clearly less than 100% healthy, and he’s struggled to find any kind of rhythm on either end of the court.
Based on the eye test alone, there are times when it doesn’t even look like Murray should be playing and he’s laboring just to move around laterally. He’s far less involved on offense than he would usually be, and he’s almost useless on the defensive end. For Nuggets fans and Canadian fans, it has been tough to watch.
Jordi Fernandez concedes Murray is on a minutes restriction
On Monday, Team Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez backed up what the eye test has been telling us and admitted in an interview that Murray has been on a minutes restriction. This makes sense as Murray has been coming off the bench and playing right around 20 minutes per game so far.
It also makes sense based on how Murray has looked and his lack of contributions to the team. On the one hand, it’s certainly nice that they aren’t overtaxing Jamal and letting him play his way to health. It’s admirable that he wants to be there and to help his country try to win a medal for the first time since the 1930s; all of that is great.
Should Jamal Murray be playing in the Olympics at all?
But on the other hand, why is Murray even there playing at all? This is a player whose career has largely been defined by injuries. The most recent playoff run was disappointing, in large part due to Murray’s struggles. And he’s also seeking a four-year max contract extension before the coming season begins.
These are all reasons why Murray should be back home resting and rehabbing. He should be doing everything he can to get his body in shape this summer and limping around at the Olympics doesn’t exactly instill a ton of confidence that will be the case. The Nuggets can’t afford a subpar season from Jamal, if anything they are going to need the best version of the Canadian guard.
This isn’t a reason to panic or anything quite like that, but it’s definitely frustrating for Nuggets fans to watch. Hopefully, Murray escapes the games unscathed and comes out no worse for the wear, ready to enter training camp and help the Nuggets go on another run.