Nuggets star and NBA champion fall in latest ESPN player rankings

There are many notable changes to discuss in the annual ESPN Top 100 rankings.

After a disappointing performance in the 2024 playoffs, a star guard for the Denver Nuggets and NBA champion failed to maintain or improve his ranking from a season ago.

“(Jamal) Murray averaged career highs in points per game (21.2) and assists per game (6.5) and was one of three players to average at least 20 points, 6 assists and 40% 3-point shooting last season. scoring shots,” ESPN Ohm Youngmisuk wrote on Wednesday. “But Murray didn’t look like the playoff Murray in Denver’s second-round loss to Minnesota, when he averaged 18.4 points on just 33% 3-point shooting, or during the Olympics when he played for the team this summer Canada scored an average of just 6.0 points. “Murray said he was healthy and he implored his teammates early in camp to understand the urgency of taking advantage of the championship window the Nuggets currently have with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.”

Murray is now ranked No. 31 on ESPN’s list, 14 spots lower than the ranking he achieved in 2023.

Murray had a great regular season with the Nuggets last season, but didn’t play his best basketball in the postseason. In the first round of the playoffs, the 6-foot-2 guard came up big for Mike Malone and the Nuggets, calmly sinking two game-winning jumpers in the final seconds of games two and five.

Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to reach the Western Conference semifinals.

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the former lottery pick recorded just two scores of more than 20 points and shot less than 20% from the field on multiple occasions. Minnesota took advantage of Murray’s inadequacies and defeated Denver 4-3 in a highly entertaining second-round matchup.

Murray suffered various setbacks throughout the season, including an elbow injury during the Nuggets’ 115-70 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. Still, that didn’t stop critics from scrutinizing him.

The Kentucky product was absent from the Olympics for his Team Canada in Paris. Many analysts were convinced that Murray’s team could challenge Team USA for the gold medal, but his poor play led to the team’s early elimination.

Heading into the 2024-25 regular season, Murray appears to be dealing with a knee injury that could negatively impact the Nuggets.

“Michael Malone said today that Jamal Murray’s knee felt ‘weird’ before last night’s game,” Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette reported Monday after the Nuggets’ third preseason game. “They assumed it would clear up as the game went on, but they decided to keep him out of the second half. Murray had ice packs wrapped around his knees today.”

The Nuggets have opted to keep Murray out of action for Tuesday’s preseason game, which could indicate the injury is more serious than the organization is admitting.

Hopefully, Murray will be available for next Thursday’s season opener in Denver and play his way into a higher ESPN ranking.

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