DENVER — When Jamal Murray stepped onto the court two weeks ago against Oklahoma City in the Nuggets’ preseason opener, it wasn’t long before traces of the old Murray reappeared.
The first two shots he took, both misses, elicited a palpable buzz from a crowd eager to see the Murray they came to adore prior to him tearing his ACL in April 2021.
On the third try, Murray buried a corner 3-pointer as a smile stole across his face. Then, in the final seconds of the first half, Murray sprinted the length of the court, briefly catching the spirit of the same scorer who torched opponents in the NBA Bubble during the pandemic. When he got near the elbow, swerved and launched off his surgically-repaired knee, his buzzer-beater shed months of doubt and unearthed the steely confidence that’s long defined Murray’s game.
