Ever since the postseason, Jamal Murray has been criticized for not having to keep up with his performance. Now, the Canadian led the Nuggets to a first-round win, sinking two game-winners. But right after that, Murray just hasn’t been himself. He’s shooting below his career averages and was a sort of role player going into the Olympics. Jamal put up 6 points, 3.8 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting just 29% from the field. But where did everything go wrong?

For starters, Murray was one of the players who was out of shape. As quick and explosive as he is, Murray’s athleticism wasn’t visible in any of his recent games. “That’s kind of the thing on Jamal right now. He kind of shows up to this kind of stuff out of shape and tries to play his way into shape and it’s really bitten him on the a** in this tournament here at the Olympics.”, said Jason Timpf. However, there is nothing wrong with improving shape along the line, but then again, the Olympics are somewhat of a serious competition.

We’ve seen James Harden out of shape during the initial days of the regular season. However, the Olympics is not an 82-game competition and this strategy won’t work so well, especially when facing highly competitive teams. Nevertheless, this Olympic tour will be a lesson for Murray as he prepares to get back on the court for the upcoming season. The Nuggets are still one of the top contenders in the West. But without the Jamal Murray they know, it would become a much harder task to compete in the postseason.

At the end of the day, Murray might be going through a slump or a rough patch. But then again, the Canadians didn’t exactly lose because of the lack of consistency from Murray. Head coach Jordi Fernandez pointed out that the squad didn’t share the ball so well versus the home team. “Offensively, I thought it was our most selfish game. We didn’t share the ball.”, said Fernandez. The squad comprised the most NBA players outside of Team USA in the tournament.

To have things south, especially in the quarter-finals, wasn’t what the squad expected in the first place. Nevertheless, it won’t be so easy to move on from this loss, as players will head to their respective training camps, especially for Murray.

Jamal Murray is still a valuable asset

Yes, the 27-year-old had a rough run in the Olympics. However, he is still one of the best guards to have played for the Nuggets. And why wouldn’t he be? The core of the Nuggets started off with Jokic, Murray, and Gary Harris. Along the way, came all sorts of players, including Aaron Gordon, MPJ, Jeff Green, and others. Out of all, Murray and Jokic were the pair of stars who stuck through every obstacle. The Nuggets could’ve had a deeper run in the recent postseason, however, couldn’t stand the Wolves in the seven-game series.

Murray has been a crucial part of the roster ever since and has proved himself to be one of the best point guards in the postseason. The Canadian will look to get his consistency back in order as he prepares for the upcoming season. Things couldn’t be more competitive in the West and the Nuggets out of all are still one of the favorites to make the Finals. It will be interesting to see Jamal Murray make a comeback and shut the haters.

What are your thoughts on Jamal Murray’s Olympic run? Do you think he’ll come back better than ever? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.