Nuggets' president discusses Jamal Murray's challenging playoffs and Olympic prospects: 'I understand he wasn't at full health'

During the previous NBA playoffs, Jamal Murray was hindered by a calf strain and other lingering physical problems. Despite this, he still managed to average 20.6 points per game on 40.2% shooting (31.5% from 3 point range). These statistics fell short of his performance the year before when he played a pivotal role in leading the Nuggets to an NBA championship.

At the Paris Olympics, things were worse. The Canadian guard averaged 6 points a game on 29% shooting, including 14.3% from beyond the arc, and he averaged a team-high 2.3 turnovers a game as the Canadians went home without hardware.

All those rough numbers are because Murray is still playing through injuries and isn't 100%,

Denver president Josh Kroenke told Bennett Durando of The Denver Post

"When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents’) best shot. And if you’re not 100% and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is...

"But I know he wasn’t 100%. I know getting him back there is a big step toward seeing the Jamal who was throwing up triple-doubles in the NBA Finals."

That's what a team president is expected to do: stick up for his star players and put a positive spin on things. That said, if Denver is going to return to the Finals with a roster leaning hard into young players like Christain Braun and Peyton Watson for depth, it is going to need the Jamal Murray from the 2023 postseason.

Denver is willing to bet that Murray returns. Earlier this offseason,

Murray and the Nuggets reportedly agreed to the broad outline of a four-year, $208.5 million max extension

It's pretty simple: These Nuggets are title contenders so long as they have Nikola Jokic at the peak of his powers, but the team isn't as deep and doesn't have the margin for error it did just a couple of seasons ago. That means, among other things, the Nuggets need a healthy and playing at his peak Murray to make it all work. They are about to pay him like an All-Star and All-NBA player — accolades that have eluded him but are within his grasp if healthy — and he has to live up to that standard for Denver to have a chance.