Denver Expected To Get Murray, Porter Jr. Back By End Of Season
No team in the league has been hit harder with injuries over the last year or so than the Denver Nuggets, as everything started with Jamal Murray tearing his left ACL ahead of the playoffs last year.
With Jamal Murray out to begin the season, the Nuggets were already thin in terms of overall talent and then they lost not only Michael Porter Jr. to a back injury, but P.J. Dozier (who was traded), Markus Howard and others to injuries as well.
The Nuggets have played a total of 58 games this season and not only has every player on their roster missed at least one game, but 22 different players have taken the court in a Nuggets’ uniform this year.
Getting healthy would be a miracle for the Nuggets, who are actually still very much alive in the playoff picture, as they are 33-25 on the season. Denver currently sits as the 6-seed in the Western Conference and are just 3 games behind the Utah Jazz for the 4-seed in the conference and from hosting a first-round playoff series.
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Jamal Murray had ACL surgery last April and is on schedule to return before the end of the regular season. Michael Porter Jr. was said to be out for the year, but he could also return for the Nuggets before the playoffs.
A couple of weeks ago, Nuggets president Tim Connelly said that both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. could be cleared in the “not-too-distant future.”
“It’s up to them. We’re going to clear them at some point in the not too distant future and then they have to determine when and if they’re ready,” Connelly said on 92.5FM in Denver.
Nikola Jokic has single-handedly carried this Nuggets team this season and while Will Barton and Monte Morris have also stepped up into larger roles, this team desperately needs Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back out there on the floor.
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Who knows what Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will look like after not taking the court for months, but even the slightest bit of production can work wonders for the Nuggets heading into the playoffs. Maybe they are still not title contenders with these guys coming off of injuries, but they will surely change other team’s game plans come time for the playoffs and could ultimately pull off an upset in the first-round.
