Four Canadians have made appearances at the NBA All-Star Game, and there has been just one Canadian to win an NBA MVP, again multiple times.
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There have been eight Canadians to win an NBA championship, some multiple times. Two Canadians have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Four Canadians have made appearances at the NBA All-Star Game, and there has been just one Canadian to win an NBA MVP, again multiple times.
Jamal Murray is none of these…yet.
The Canadian point guard is on a direct path to help the Denver Nuggets win their first NBA title. After sweeping the LA Lakers in four hard-fought games, it seems inevitable that the Nuggets will win the Larry O’Brien trophy, regardless of who comes out of the Eastern Conference.
After what amounted to his coming out party during the NBA “Bubble Season”, Murray seemed to be on the road to All-Star level conversation as one of the best point guards in the Western Conference, if not the entire league. But, unfortunately, a torn ACL would set all of that back.
Leading up to the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors game on April 14, 2021, Murray was in the midst of a career year. Averaging 21.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4 rebounds per game, Murray had helped the Nuggets to a 31-17 record and a top-three spot in the Western Conference standings.
When Murray found out the results of his knee injury and the fact that it would likely mean missing out on the whole 2021-22 NBA schedule, he broke down in tears. While in conversation with Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, Murray’s mind had already entered into a dark place, asking if the team would be trading him because he was considered “damaged goods.”
Thankfully, Malone would put Murray’s and the Nuggets’ faithful minds at ease with two simple words, “You’re ours.”
On October 19, 2022, the twenty-five years old Murray would suit up for his fifth NBA season (sixth official), finishing the opening night with a loss to the surprising Utah Jazz. In just over twenty-five minutes of action, Murray’s box score read 5/13fg, 12 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. Not strictly the return that everyone, including Murray, had hoped for.
As the season progressed, Murray would begin to find his form, recording seven games of thirty or more points, including an impressive 41-point effort against the Atlanta Hawks. However, averaging 20 points, 6.2 assists, and 4 rebounds, Murray would fall short of a spot on the All-Star squad yet again.
During the Nuggets’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Murray would drop 40 points in Game 2 and 35 points in the series-clinching Game 5. Murray’s scoring attack would continue in the first game against the Phoenix Suns, dropping a game-high 34 points.
After cooling down in the second game against the Suns, Murray was back at it, playing the role of Robin to Nikola Jokic’s Batman. As the two best Nuggets players, Denver continued to storm toward their first NBA Finals appearance on the backs of their point guard, who averaged 32.5 points, and their big man, who recorded three triple-doubles in a four-game sweep of the LA Lakers.
Two years ago, the Nuggets were on the receiving end of being swept, falling to the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs. Last year the team lost in the first round to the eventual champion, Golden State Warriors. So what is the main difference between this playoff run and the previous two? Look no further than the man wearing the number 27 on his jersey.
