Nuggets Coach Declares Jamal Murray an ‘All-Time Great’ Ahead of Playoffs
The Western Conference race was tight this season, with playoff standings being finalized on the last day. Fortunately for the Denver Nuggets, they secured some breathing room and locked in the No. 4 seed, finishing the season with a 50-32 record—identical to the Los Angeles Clippers. Thanks to owning the tiebreaker, the Nuggets earned a crucial home-court advantage. That could be key, considering the Clippers were dominant at home (30-11) but struggled on the road (20-21).
In a surprise move, the Nuggets parted ways with head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just before the postseason. David Adelman stepped in as interim head coach, with star center Nikola Jokic even taking on some huddle duties during timeouts—something Adelman embraces. As Denver prepares to face the Clippers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET for the start of the NBA Playoffs, Adelman made it clear he’s expecting big things from Jamal Murray.
“We know what Jamal brings when it’s playoff time,” Adelman said. “He’s one of the all-time greats—you could definitely make the case.” Like Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Murray has a reputation for elevating his game in the postseason. During the NBA bubble, Murray’s scoring jumped from 18.5 to 26.5 points per game while hitting 45.3% from three. He did it again in 2023, raising his numbers from 20 to 26.1 points per game with nearly 40% shooting from beyond the arc. While the Nuggets are rich in top-tier talent, their bench is thin—meaning they’ll need Murray to flip the switch once more and lead another deep playoff run, just as Adelman believes he can.
