Kofi Inkoom
Denver Nuggets’ guard, Jamal Murray, had to leave last nights’ game against the Miami Heat before halftime due to spraining his right ankle in the second quarter. He didn’t return to play for the rest of the game. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post covered the incident.
“I talked to him right at the half, and he thought he was gonna be able to try to maybe give it a go — see how it warmed up,” head coach Michael Malone said. “And it just wasn’t responding the way he had hoped, so I think it was a smart decision not to have him out there. Just trying to be as careful as possible at this point of the season.”
According to Malone, Murray might still play in Saturday’s game against the Lakers, so he might not miss any more games because of his ankle injury.
But, even if he plays in all the remaining Nuggets games this season, Murray won’t be eligible for end-of-season awards.
The NBA made a new rule stating that players must play in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards.
This means playing 20 minutes in 63 games and 15 minutes in two more. Murray has missed 16 games and played less than 15 minutes in two others, so he won’t meet the requirement.
Even though he could technically play in up to 66 games, Murray won’t meet the 65-game minimum. This rule was made to prevent players from just briefly appearing in games to reach 65.
However, if there are “extraordinary circumstances,” a player who doesn’t meet the 65-game criteria can appeal.
For example, if Murray missed out because he played 14 minutes instead of 15 in one game, he could appeal.
But since this rule is new, there are no previous cases to compare it to. And if Murray misses more games because of his ankle injury, his case might not hold.
“If there’s any hesitancy, then he won’t play in L.A.,” Malone said “If the ankle’s not right. … The question is never, ‘Can I go play?’ No, (it’s), ‘Can you play effectively?’ Because if you’re not playing effectively, you’re putting everybody else at a disadvantage. So we’ll see. And if he’s not able to play against the Lakers because of the ankle injury, then we’ll hopefully get him back for Phoenix (next Tuesday).”
Murray has been performing really well for the Denver team this season, scoring an average of 20.5 points and making 6.3 assists per game, which are his best stats yet.
He’s played in 44 games this season, starting all of them. His shooting percentages are also the best he’s ever had.
Even though Murray might not have been a top contender for All-NBA recognition this season because of tough competition, it’s still worth noting that he won’t be eligible.
If he had made it onto one of the 15 All-NBA teams, he could have qualified for a super-max contract extension.
Currently, Murray is set to earn around $36 million in the last year of his current contract in 2024/25. He could sign a standard max extension this offseason, which would be worth 30% of the cap.
If he decides to wait and play out his current contract, he could still qualify for a super-max contract (worth 35% of the cap) by making an All-NBA team in 2024/25.
Murray is now in the same boat as other players like Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and LaMelo Ball, who are also ineligible for major awards this season due to missing too many games.
More players, including Trae Young, might join this group before the season ends.