Nuggets president Josh Kroenke on Jamal Murray’s struggles in playoffs, Olympics: “I know he wasn’t 100%”

CASTLE ROCK — Nuggets president Josh Kroenke doubled down on his confidence in Jamal Murray’s talent Wednesday, emphasizing Murray’s health as a factor in his recent struggles during both the 2024 NBA playoffs and Paris Olympics.

“When you’re going against the best in the world, whether it’s in the NBA playoffs or in the Olympics, you’re gonna get (opponents’) best shot. And if you’re not 100% and you know you want to be out there still, you’re gonna try to fight through it like Jamal is,” Kroenke said after participating in the Gardner Hendrick Pro-Am, part of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club.

“But I know he wasn’t 100%. I know getting him back there is a big step toward seeing the Jamal who was throwing up triple-doubles in the NBA Finals.”

With Murray’s extension eligibility still looming over Denver’s offseason, Kroenke didn’t specify when a deal will be done, but he shared how he is weighing the point guard’s recent poor stretch of play against his strong 2023-24 regular season while contract talks are on the mind.

The crux of it: Injuries are easily forgotten context when an athlete plays through them.

“For me in particular, as much as I would love to focus in on the end of the season or the playoffs or the Olympics, I usually think even kind of one step higher. You think about it (in terms of) over kind of the last couple of years,” Kroenke said. “The amount of games that he’s played — the amount of games that all of our guys have played — and the wear and tear on their bodies. So I think that showed up toward the end of the regular season. It definitely trickled into the playoffs. And Jamal was also pretty banged up. I think that’s something that gets underestimated because of how tough he is as a person. He was playing through some dings, some pretty good dings, that probably would keep most people out of games.”

Kroenke identified an ankle injury “among others” that Murray has been dealing with. The 27-year-old was notably hampered by a left calf strain during the second round when Denver was eliminated by Minnesota in seven games. Murray shot 40% from the field and 31.5% from 3-point range across two playoff series, a streak of uncharacteristic inefficiency that continued into the Olympics. He came off the bench for the Canadian national team.

“Jamal’s a great player, one of the best in the NBA,” Kroenke said, “and however he felt personally that the Olympics were for him, just reading some of his quotes, I know he was frustrated a little bit. So I have no doubt that he’ll use that the right way for motivation going into the season.”

Murray is eligible for up to a four-year, $208.5 million max extension. He has one season remaining on his current deal.

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