Nuggets optimistic Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. will be back for playoffs, per report

Nikola Jokic has largely been left to carry the Denver Nuggets on his own this season, and he's done an admirable job of it. The MVP candidate has Denver tied for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference at 36-25, but fortunately, reinforcements appear to be on the way.

Jamal Murray has been out all season after tearing his ACL in April. Michael Porter Jr. has missed most of the season due to a back injury. However, sources told The Athletic's Sam Amick that "there is a strong sense within Denver's locker room that they'll both be back in time for the playoffs. If not sooner."

Porter's timeline is a bit clearer. He is set to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, according to his agent Mark Bartelstein. From there, he would be expected to return at some point in March. Porter has not played since Nov. 6, and he struggled in the nine games he appeared in averaging a mere 9.9 points on 35.9 percent shooting. Should he return in March, he would theoretically have enough time to ramp up and get back in shape for the playoffs in April.

Murray does not have such a detailed timeline. He tore his ACL last April, and typically, the recovery from such an injury takes roughly one year. No two ACL tears are identical, though, as some players have returned in eight months while others have needed well over a year. However, Amick's reporting suggests that he is at least on the right track, though it is unclear how effective Murray will be when he returns.

The Nuggets looked nearly unstoppable at full strength a season ago. They won their first seven games after acquiring Aaron Gordon and were derailed only by Murray's injury. The five-man starting lineup of Murray, Gordon, Porter, Jokic and Will Barton outscored opponents by 16.8 points per 100 possessions when healthy last season. It shouldn't be long now before that unit is reunited.

The Phoenix Suns are playing without Chris Paul. The Golden State Warriors are awaiting the return of Draymond Green. Both Los Angeles teams are riddled with injuries. The West is available for the taking if these injuries persist. Jokic may have spent most of the season carrying the Nuggets on his back, but soon, he could be leading the deepest and most dangerous group in the whole conference.

Comments

Dennis Rodman Once Said He, Michael Jordan, And Scottie Pippen Could Lock Up LeBron James: "LeBron Is So Easy To Play. He’s So F**king Easy To Play. He Doesn’t Have Any Moves."

If there is something that will never end it is the comparison between players from different eras. Even in that niche, most comparisons revolve around the legendary players from the Chicago Bulls. Yes, we are talking about the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. A perfect example of that was seen by fans back in a 2019 interview featuring Dennis Rodman. The Worm was asked about his thoughts on guarding none other than LeBron James. Rodman replied: (starts at 6:06) "You know who could lock up LeBron? Me, Mike, and Scottie could. F*ck yeah. I would have locked his a** up. LeBron is so easy to play. He’s so f*cking easy to play, he don’t have any moves. Only move he has is streak down the line. He ain’t got no moves. Where he going?? Where is he going that’s quick? That’ll be sh*t, you can stop that. Scottie Pippen would have shut his f*cking a** down quick before I get to him. His game is too simple, he’s just big. I’m 260 and 6’8” and 6’9”, that’s the onl...

From Deep: At long last, Nikola Jokic's Nuggets can envision getting to the top of the mountain

Jamal Murray tore his ACL on April 12, 2021. Leading up to that night, he'd been playing at an All-NBA level for two months: In a 25-game stretch, Murray averaged 24.1 points on .509/.459/.935 shooting splits, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He was even more efficient than he was in the bubble playoffs, and his defense had improved, too. Murray only got to play with Aaron Gordon, the Denver Nuggets' big trade-deadline addition, for five games. They won them all except the one in which Murray got injured. In 110 minutes, their new starting five scored slightly more efficiently than any iteration of the Kevin Durant-era death lineup in Golden State and defended like a top-five team. Two Nikola Jokic MVP awards later, Murray is back. So is Michael Porter Jr., who signed a five-year extension about a year ago and needed back surgery nine games into the 2020-21 season. The Nuggets remember how easily everything slid into place with Gordon in the mix. Newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pop...

Michael Jordan On LeBron James: "He's An Unbelievable Player, He's One Of The Best Players In The World... I'm A Fan Of His, I Love Watching Him Play..."

Even before he made it to the NBA, LeBron James was already compared to the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. His Airness made a huge impact on the league, winning six championships in eight years, dominating rivals every night, and becoming one of the best two-way players in NBA history. During his career, and even during his retirement, many players were compared to Jordan, but nobody could live up to the expectations. LeBron James was deemed 'The Chosen One' when he was a teenager, and comparisons between him and MJ never stopped coming. They have mutual respect, and the biggest proof of that came during the 2022 All-Star Game, where MJ and Bron embraced each other in Cleveland. James would post a big pic of his first and most recent encounter with Jordan, paying respect to the man that inspired him. Just like the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has always shown his admiration for James, Jordan has done the same before. Back in 2020, during a press co...

Crossover World

Search This Blog