With the home-court advantage in the final home game after a 0-2 start to the series, the Nuggets ended up blowing their chances to the Wolves. Now in order to match the defending champions and their two superstars, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Denver has locked in their duo for another term. Yes, Jamal Murray is locked in for the future alongside the Joker until the 2027-28 season. Although it has garnered some questioning, considering Murray’s post-season run, an NBA veteran feels otherwise.

“Now before yall do all that hating… YES JAMAAL MURRAY DESERVES THAT 205m. Don’t @ me.” Evan Turner might have got the figure wrong but he surely feels part of the point guard camp. After a disappointing playoff for Denver and for Murray, his Olympic performance too did not match the expectations.

Averaging six points, three rebounds, and 3.8 assists in four Olympic Games, the Canadian team lost in the QF stage. Murray also saw his points and assists dip in the playoff going 21.1 and 6.5 to 20.6 and 5.6 respectively. The 2023 champion also managed only 2 20+ games against the Wolves. Further considering he hasn’t made an All-Star since his 2017 All-Rookie, hasn’t helped the case much for Murray. But on a wider view, the 2023 champion has been good for the franchise.

As per Stat Muse, he leads the team in 40-point games, 50-point games, and playoff 3P. He then trails in second for playoff points and assists. Aware, the ex-Celtics coach places his belief in Murray.

Can the Nuggets once again mount a challenge for the Champions Celtics?

The Joker scored his 20th triple-double when the two teams met last time. Nuggets were also able to sweep the Celtics, 2-0 and even Murray added 19 points. But Beantown’s Jaylen Brown might have been a little challenging with his season-high 41 points and 14 rebounds, though they claimed the first win. Murray would then go on to add a game-high 35 points while Jokic fell short of 1 assist to miss out on another triple-double.

So the two stars have fared quite well against the champions. But if that wasn’t to be enough, the Nuggets added Russell Westbrook while making way for the shooting guard, KCP. The extension, though, puts it a little tough for the front office if they want to retain Aaron Gordon. Currently, Gordon holds a $25.4 million player option and his decision will massively impact their cap space; thus limiting their ability to add future pieces because of the second apron’s constraints.

In the last season, Gordon was the 4th highest in a lot of categories: games started (73), points (13.9), assists (3.5), and steals (0.8). Plus his rebounding abilities were the 3rd highest on the team 6.5. No doubt Jamal Murray is the crucial second person on the team, but will the team function if they aren’t able to re-sign Gordon?

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”