Denver Nuggets: 3 big questions heading into 2019-20

Will Murray live up to $170 million contract extension?

Jamal Murray’s wild-gunning style has fans either celebrating vivaciously or bemoaning with mass face-palms. Katy Perry would say he’s hot then he’s cold … his shots are in then they’re out.

Yet, give Murray credit where credit is due. He leveled out in 2018-19, averaging 18.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. His inconsistency of the past faded, as he missed double-figure scoring just eight times last year, opposed to 63 occasions in the prior two seasons.

Once the postseason hit, Murray went into overdrive, averaging 21.3 points per game. He tallied 23 points or better eight times in the playoffs, a sample in which the Denver Nuggets went 6-2.

As previously mentioned, he averaged 23.6 points per game in the semifinals, a scoring performance that is difficult to attain this late in the postseason.

When the Nuggets were down Gary Harris, Paul Millsap and Will Barton in early December, the pity train pulled up to the Mile High City, ready to console the grieving bunch on their journey down the ranks of the Western Conference. As it turns out, that train never left the station.

Playing nine games with essentially Nikola Jokic, Murray and the reserves, Denver posted a 6-3 record, losing not an inch in the tightly-packed Western Conference. Murray proved himself an excellent stabilizer, notching 20.4 points, 5.2 boards and 4.8 dimes per game during this stretch.

Murray’s a baller and his body language suggests that he knows it. He has the scoring drive Denver needs, and in the playoffs he’s shown it. But a max contract? Just a few years ago, this type of money was reserved for only the league’s marquee superstars.

It’s a different era for the NBA, however, one that involves mind-blowing money for any hint of stardom. The Nuggets are hedging their bets on Murray becoming Jokic’s consistent wingman, and for a contending squad no less. They can only hope and pray they’re correct.

Murray’s aforementioned conference semis suggests a high-profile scorer, a star to watch for years to come. He often scored at will throughout the series, even outplaying Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum at times.

Yet his performance in Game 7, in which he shot 4-of-18 from the field, was a letdown when the squad needed him most. He also struggled with fourth quarter ball handling on multiple occasions.

Which Murray is Denver investing in? The guy who makes big shots down the stretch and hits 34 points in Games 3 and 4? He could warrant a maximum extension. The dude who disappears in Game 7 or turns the ball over in the fourth quarter…not so much.

Overall, good Murray has overshadowed bad Murray to date, and his floor says he’ll be a strong NBA scorer at a minimum. After all, Denver wouldn’t have escaped last year’s first round without him.

Signing Murray was a solid, if expensive, move that makes sense due to his undeniable scoring prowess and and Denver’s inability to attract free agents. No one doubts he’ll have much to prove this season, however.

If anyone can handle the pressure, Murray can. Remember his fourth quarter free-throw streak in Game 4 against Portland?