What Happened to Jamal Murray? Injury Scare in Denver as Nuggets 26YO Guard Stays Out in 2nd Half vs Bucks

Jamal Murray was injured mid-game and returned to the locker room to assess the damage. Murray’s leg has been giving him trouble for some time. It seems like tonight’s injury has aggravated the same. According to the latest reports, it seems like he’s out for good.

Murray finished the night with three points and two rebounds in 18 minutes of game time. Denver already lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to injury, and it seems like they lost another key player as well.

Although Pope was listed as available close ahead of the Bucks game, it seems like the hamstring tightness that kept him away for two straight games previously got him again. He finished the night with 2 rebounds and assists each, with one point.

Murray, for his part, has been dealing with injuries for a long time now. His worst test came in 2021 when he sustained a torn ACL. It was April 12 and Denver was facing the Golden State Warriors at their home court. Determined to get the trophy that’s been eluding them for some time now, the Nuggets were focused on one goal.

And Murray played a big part in it. Unfortunately, the subsequent injury and the rehabilitation took longer than he would have liked. Yet, in his big comeback, Murray helped Nikola Jokic and his team to their first-ever title in 2023! But as luck would have it, he was weighed down with different injuries. November 2023 saw him miss a total of 11 games with a right hamstring strain. December was for ankle issues.

January 14th saw him out with a tibia injury. The same injury that flared up tonight. As of now, Denver has decided to rest him on Tuesday before deciding his presence for their final game before the All-Star break. But it seems like the 2023 champion no longer fears scary injuries.

“I was very fearful of the unknown before, but now I embrace it.”: Jamal Murray opens up about his rehab journey

In an interview with Keith Nelson of ‘Men’s Health,’ Murray reveals the steps he took and the mindset he had to cultivate to keep going. Having watched Jamal Murray who led the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 championship, no one would believe that he battled a potentially career-ending injury prior. His ACL tear during the Dubs matchup not only put him in a difficult position physically, but it affected his mental health as well.

“When you’re hurt, you’re in the unknown. You don’t know what’s going to happen, if you’ll recover or what the results are going to be. I was very fearful of the unknown before, but now I embrace it,” he said. Let’s take a quick look at his journey in four simple steps. The first and foremost was to focus on the “small wins”. One can only go forward if you take time to appreciate the little victories.

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Secondly, it was important to visualize your goal. Not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel will only leave you feeling dissatisfied. The third step Murray took was to seek advice from those who have been in the same situation as you. For the 26-year-old, it meant talking to Victor Oladipo, Zach LaVine, and Peyton Manning.

And lastly, self-motivation and patience. “Get through those days you don’t want to do it… That mindset will stick with you even when you’re not hurt,” he said with confidence. Hopefully, he can get through this slight mishap with the same mindset.

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