The Denver Nuggets are banking on Jamal Murray to make a triumphant return next season, but is the Canadian guard ready?

Jamal Murray's ACL injury kept him out of action for the whole 2021–22 campaign. He should be back in shape for the 2022–23 NBA season. The Denver Nuggets will likely have Jamal Murray as their second offensive option after MVP Nikola Jokic. Last season, it was very evident that they missed his shot-making, especially during the playoffs.

Murray is a sneaky guard who can score on all three levels. In terms of perimeter defense, he is also pretty capable. When he does return, Jamal Murray should have a strong season ahead of him. Jamal Murray averaged 21.2 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, and 4.8 assists per game in the 2020–21 season while shooting 40.8 percent from outside the arc.

Recall that with a healthy Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals in 2019–20. To go farther in future iterations of the playoffs, the Nuggets need for him to resume playing at an All-Star level. The fact that Murray is returning will undoubtedly ease some of the pressure on Nikola Jokic as well.

There is undoubtedly some worry over Jamal Murray's comeback following his ACL surgery. There have been many examples of great returns from injury, though. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are examples of players who have recovered from major injuries and resume playing at a high level. Murray may perform similarly the next year, and if so, he will have more than justified the maximum deal he now has.

Of course, it remains to be seen if Murray will actually enjoy the same amount of playing time immediately right off the gates with the Denver Nuggets. Head coach Michael Malone delivered a small surprise last week concerning the forthcoming season. He basically told everyone to pump the brakes a bit regarding Murray's return.

“To start the season, Jamal Murray’s not going to play in every single game,” Mike Malone said on NBA TV. “He’s not going to play 35 minutes. He’ll play somewhere in the 20s to open the season.”

Malone made an interesting statement, and at some point, fans will ask questions.

Was Murray's recuperation experiencing any setbacks? Are the Nuggets being overly circumspect? Is Murray holding himself back?

Some may consider those hard questions, but they are necessary. A recovery of 18 months is quite unusual after all, even for ACL injuries.

On the flip side, Murray actually showed up to the Denver gym when they brought in their Summer League squad and rookies some time ago. He even began participating in five-on-five runs with the team. He looks good in the practice gym, and that's a good sign.

Denver Nuggets fans will look back and see that Murray hesitated to come back in April. That, however, was more to protect his prospects for this coming season. The Nuggets didn't want to rush him back, and he was not mentally unprepared yet. Murray worried about going around screens, being hit, diving for loose balls, and then possibly underperforming.

In the last season Murray played, he put up averages of 21.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while having 48-41-87 shooting splits. If he can approximate that sort of production anew, we could be looking at a team that would definitely pose a threat even to the defending champion Golden State Warriors.