Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray went through a sluggish first half of the 2020-21 season as he encountered a handful of injuries. Heading to the second half of their campaign, the Kentucky product used the All-Star break to have a short break away from basketball in a bid to regain his composure when playing on the floor.
Via Mike Singer of Denver Post:
“I didn’t touch the ball for the break,” Murray said. “Mentally, I didn’t want to touch the ball for the break. I came back the first two games, and I wasn’t ready to play.
“ … The work shows,” he added. “So I took five days off, and it showed.”
Murray didn't exactly come out of the break the way that he wanted to as he still struggled in their first game back against the Memphis Grizzlies. He was only limited to tally three points, three rebounds, and five assists en route to a 103-102 victory.
It was the same story on the following day when they hosted the Dallas Mavericks where he came out with 10 points and five assists for a 116-103 loss. Despite going through a slump, the team's tactician remained confident in Murray's abilities to get back to his playing form.
“Don’t allow missing shots to make you just a specialist because he’s not that,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone reminded him. “We know that he’s a complete player.”
On Monday night, the 24-year-old playmaker finally made progress as he scored 16 points, six rebounds, and eight assists for a 121-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets further climbed up the standings as they now hold a 23-16 record for the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
Hopefully, the game will serve as the breakthrough that he needed in order to get back his confidence on the court. Jamal Murray is definitely playing a huge role for the Nuggets and they will need him at his best if they want to rack up more wins for the remainder of the season.
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