Looking at how Denver Nuggets adjusted to Jamal Murray's absence on the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season
On April 12th, 2021 the Denver Nuggets were in Golden State to play the Warriors with no clue that the rest of that NBA season and the entire year after was about to take a turn for the worse for them.
In that game, Jamal Murray went down in clear discomfort after what appeared to be a non-contact injury when attacking the basket.
Non-contact injuries result in fanbases, coaching staff, front offices, teammates, and opposition holding their breath and hoping for the best. Sadly, Jamal Murray suffered a torn ACL that night at Chase 1 Center and surgery followed not long after.
Nikola Jokic rightfully secured the NBA MVP's award trophy for the regular season, but the third-seeded Denver Nuggets would not escape a showdown with the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the ensuing postseason where they were swept aside.
Denver Nuggets finding solutions to the Murray conundrum
Fast forward four months and the Denver Nuggets played that same Phoenix team in the opener of the 2021-22 season. With Murray still inactive, as he will be for a few more months, the offseason gave the coaching staff to find adequate ways to plug the gap.
The Jamal Murray-shaped void that the Denver Nuggets attempted to navigate was primarily on the offensive end of the floor. When Murray was healthy, he was Jokic's partner in crime and perimeter creation relief, averaging 21.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three.
No single player on the Denver Nuggets' roster was going to step in and take 16 more shots a night. There would need to be bits and pieces from a variety of rostered players, and that proved successful in Phoenix.
Michael Porter Jr. and the Denver Nuggets just committed to each other with the agreement to a five-year $172-million max contract extension - making him the obvious candidate to take the leap. The issue has been Porter's self-creation off the bounce that does not rival Murray's, but his elite spacing and shot-making ability has remained constant.
Four assists for Michael Porter Jr. in 22 minutes so far tonight, including a beauty to Nikola Jokic a couple minutes ago. Last season Porter only had two games with four or more assists. Both came after the All-Star break.
The 6'10" fourth-year pro tallied 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the Denver Nuggets' season opener. 6 of 10 from the field, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. This is what has become expected from the hyper-efficient wing.
The standout factor tonight was him recording five assists, a feat that was only accomplished by him once in his previous 116 appearances for the Denver Nuggets. Porter's focus on moving the ball quickly and with purpose should help cushion Murray's missed playmaking capabilities.
Another predicted uptick in scoring output came from Will Barton, who has had moments of being a flamethrower throughout his career. Typically, in the rare minutes where Jokic needed a breather in the second half, Jamal Murray would captain the offense. Barton took that upon himself and ended the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Another instance of five steals from a player who rarely supplies them.
Monte Morris filled the positional vacancy left by Murray's absence and put in a typical performance. The Denver Nuggets guard is known for being a reliable initiator who has consistently sat near the top of the assist-to-turnover ratio at the conclusion of the past few NBA seasons. Three assists and zero turnovers is a good start in that similar direction.
Aaron Gordon, who was acquired from the Orlando Magic at the previous trade deadline, now has an entire offseason to acclimate himself to the Denver Nuggets scheme. The time spent understanding your teammates tendencies and preferences, and vice-versa, is often understated. The former dunk champion looked comfortable playing off Jokic on offense and contributing stellar on-ball defense.
Aaron Gordon swatted this into a different dimension https://t.co/4NrLwnE2XK
Of course, I would be remiss not to talk about Nikola Jokic's MVP caliber efforts. The Serbian big man showed he doesn't need time to return to form and dropped a cool 27-point, 13-rebound, two-assist and two-steal performance. Not to mention, this was against one of the better defensive big men in the league in Deandre Ayton.
A more score-first mentality for the Denver Nuggets superstar was apparent on opening night, and his lack of playmaking was made up for by unlikely candidates in Will Barton and Michael Porter Jr. The Denver Nuggets approach looked slightly different than most are used to, but they left Phoenix with a 110-98 against the defending Western Conference champions on opening night.
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