Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Jamal Murray was “devastated” after being diagnosed with a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Speaking on Wednesday for the first time since the Nuggets announced they would be without their star goalkeeper indefinitely, Malone said the team could see Murray’s suffering in connection with the end-of-season injury.
“It was an exciting 24, 36 hours,” Malone said before the Nuggets faced the Miami Heat. “Jamal is devastated, it’s understandable. I think the team is small too. We understand the importance of Jamal Murray. We are a better team when Jamal Murray is healthy … He is almost second in every major [statistical] the category in the team behind Nikola [Jokic]. “
Murray suffered an injury, with 50.6 seconds left in the Nuggets’ 116-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. The goalkeeper had an average of 21.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 47.7% of the field this season.
Carrying the title aspirations that were backed by the trade for Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets were shocked late Monday night after Murray came down.
“It was very hard. We stayed over this game in San Francisco,” Malone said. “Just sitting with him on the way to the airport, your heart breaks because you can see the raw emotion he was feeling.”
Malone told his players that they need to regroup and understand that they still have the opportunity to fight in the West.
“Some roles will obviously change,” Malone said. “I don’t want a person to think it has to be Jamal Murray. It’s not the case. It has to be commission.”
The Nuggets will have to move this season and for a portion of next season without Murray. Malone said rehabilitation for a broken ACL can usually range from nine to 10 months.
“We love him. We have him on our backs and we will help him get through this walk next year,” Malone said. “I have no doubt he will return to a better player, a stronger player. That’s what he did. It’s in his DNA. I don’t expect anything less.”