If Nuggets’ Murray surprises to return vs. Warriors, he’ll have an ally
in Klay
Jamal Murray may return from ACL tear to face Warriors in NBA playoffs
>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) and Denver Nuggets
guard Jamal Murray (27) in the second half of an NBA basketball game
Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, in Denver. The Warriors won 142-111. (AP
Photo/David Zalubowski)
>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) and Denver Nuggets
guard Jamal Murray (27) in the second half of an NBA basketball game
Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, in Denver. The Warriors won 142-111. (AP
Photo/David Zalubowski)
By MICHAEL NOWELS | mnowels@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 13, 2022 at 5:35 a.m. | UPDATED: April 13, 2022 at 7:32
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/13/if-nuggets-murray-surprises-to-return-vs-warriors-hell-have-an-ally-in-klay/

One of the first people Jamal Murray saw after tearing his ACL last
April was Klay Thompson.

The Warriors star was 21 months removed from his own career-altering
knee injury in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and five months removed from an
Achilles tear in his attempt to return to NBA action.

Murray, the Nuggets’ star point guard, was in the X-ray room at Chase
Center getting his knee examined just minutes after collapsing in a heap
near the end of Denver’s loss to the Warriors. Thompson came by in
Murray’s moment of agony to check in on a young competitor who he saw
was going through a familiar painful experience.

“[He] was just giving me advice on where he’s coming from and how long
it’s been since he played and what to look forward to and how he managed
it,” Murray told Complex in a Q&A published last month.

“It was the first day that it happened so I was listening to him, but it
didn’t register because I was upset. Now that I look back at it, man,
what he said and where he was before he came back, kind of gave me
perspective. I’ll get there. I just have to be patient and put the work
in now so it’ll show later.”

Thompson explained the moment to the Denver Post in a story published in
January:

“I told him that I felt for him, first off,” Thompson told The Denver
Post. “… I can tell by how competitive he is. If he channels that
competitiveness into his daily tasks he has to do for his knee, he’s
going to be an All-Star level player again.”

Denver has maintained that any return this season for Murray or teammate
Michael Porter Jr. (back) would be up to the players themselves, in
addition to the team’s medical staff. Both have been going through their
pregame shooting routines in recent weeks, but national writer Shams
Charania reported last week that it was unlikely that either would
return in the playoffs.

The Nuggets bear some similarities to the Warriors of the past few
seasons: Without Murray and Porter, their status as a contender is on
pause, much like the Warriors’ title hopes without Thompson and Steph
Curry in 2019-20, and with just Curry in 2020-21. Denver has seen more
on-court success than either of those Golden State teams because it
still has reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, whose passing game can lift
teammates to greater heights.

But without Murray, the Nuggets’ crunch-time offense is missing half of
its deadly pick-and-roll combo — and Porter’s extreme shooting threat is
also missing from that equation. Without Thompson, the Warriors only
have one all-world shooter, allowing opposing defenses to focus more
closely on Curry.

“He’s so important to their team, him and Jokic. I really felt for him
in that instance, because I’ve been there, and it’s kind of uncharted
territory. He’s in the prime of his career. It just sucks, not just for
the Nuggets but for the whole NBA,” Thompson said.

“… It’s so hard to win without one of your best players. It’s been
evident for us the last couple years.”

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The Warriors’ downturn during Thompson’s absence was frustrating for
fans, but in one way it was more helpful to the team’s long-term success
than the Nuggets’ position as the West’s sixth seed this season: Golden
State picked No. 2 and No. 14 overall in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.
Whether James Wiseman and Moses Moody become NBA stars, those picks are
more valuable than the No. 20 slot Denver will use this June.

For the immediate future, Thompson is doing his part to keep the
Warriors’ title window as open as possible, returning to strong shooting
form over the last several weeks, including a season-high 41 points in
the last game of the regular season. He’s not the first to return to
prominence after a major injury, as Murray cited Zach LaVine and
Dejounte Murray as stars who also reached out to him.

If Murray makes a surprise return in the first round, he’ll almost
certainly be on a minutes restriction, with low expectations. But by the
2023 playoffs, he could be going toe-to-toe with the same player who
offered encouragement two years prior — with both teams in serious
contention for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

--
Michael Nowels | Digital Sports Strategist
Mike covers sports.