“He’s got that confidence back,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said of Jamal Murray. “He’s got that swagger back.”
All it took was a 15-minute news conference in front of local media before Joker knew his running mate was back.
“Night and day,” Murray said, comparing how he felt last April when he flirted with, but ultimately decided against, a comeback attempt. The Nuggets’ roving point guard said he felt stronger and more confident bouncing off his surgically repaired left knee. The only hurdle left depended on what kind of soreness he was battling, he said.
Jokic knows his burden is about to get lighter and the significance of what Murray’s presence means for the Nuggets’ ceiling. That’s to say nothing of Michael Porter Jr., who himself professed no limitations. But until someone takes his spot, Murray is Joker’s preferred dance partner.