The Denver Nuggets are staring at a difficult stretch as injuries continue to pile up, with Nikola Jokic now sidelined. His absence reshapes everything, placing increased responsibility on Jamal Murray to steady the team. With the offense needing a new focal point, the Canadian guard becomes central to David Adelman’s approach, a shift that brings opportunity but also mounting physical and strategic risks.

Murray has averaged 25.1 PTS, 4.5 REB, 6.9 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.3 BLK, 3.4 3 PM in 32 games for Denver. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old guard has already chipped in some season-highs to his name. He scored 52 points against the Indiana Pacers. Picked up 11 rebounds against the Bulls, and had 14 assists against the Dallas Mavericks before Christmas.

However, with Jokic sidelined, a lot relies on Jamal Murray. Given that the guard has a history of knee, calf, and hamstring injuries, Coach Adelman needs to be cautious. Now, Tim Legler told DNVR Sports: “I wouldn’t increase his minutes, that’s for sure. Organically, he’s going to have more on his plate.”

He added, “because they don’t have any other ball-handling initiators on their roster.”

The Nuggets have a creative imbalance. Essentially, the offense flows through only two true engines: Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Therefore, everyone else operates within narrow lanes. Aaron Gordon, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Christian Braun can finish, cut, or react.

However, initiating sets, reading pressure, and creating advantages rarely fall on them. Thus, the burden keeps circling back to the same two stars. Early in the 2025-26 run, the numbers scream hierarchy.

Nikola Jokic steers the offense with 11 assists per night across 32 outings, while Jamal Murray trails between 4.5 and 6.9. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon posts 1.3, Christian Braun 3.0, Tim Hardaway Jr. 1.4, and Cam Johnson, plus Peyton Watson, hover from 2.4 to 1.4. Nobody clears three.

Next comes responsibility distribution. Murray clocks 35 minutes. Jokic answers with 34.6 minutes. Conversely, Gordon logs 28.3 minutes. Meanwhile, Braun adds 29.5 minutes. Therefore, creation flows almost entirely through two minds.

Pick-and-roll actions underline the gap. League tracking data ties ball handling efficiency directly to Jokic and Murray involvement. As a result, roughly 70%-80% of Denver’s assists originate from the duo. And defenses respond accordingly, loading pressure toward elite decision makers while daring limited creators to improvise.

Meanwhile, playing Murray for minutes would mean more physical exertion, as Tim Legler puts it. This means injury concerns would deepen Denver’s problems, as sidelined starters could completely break apart the Nuggets’ primary lineup, with nearly the entire opening five dealing with health issues.

The Denver Nuggets must be cautious with handling Jamal Murray in Nikola Jokic’s absence

“I would keep his minutes where they are,” Legler said about Murray’s average time. “Understand that on some nights you’re tempted to play him 38-40 minutes…You’ve got to resist that temptation.”

Simply put, the Denver Nuggets cannot afford to have the 28-year-old point guard sidelined after Nikola Jokic’s left knee hyperextension.

Jamal Murray’s durability story carries weight across Denver’s timeline. The defining blow arrived on April 12, 2021, when a torn left ACL abruptly shut down his campaign and erased the entire 2021-22 season. Although he returned to anchor the 2022-23 title run, his lower body has remained a recurring concern ever since.

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Since then, availability has turned into a balancing act. Ankle tweaks, calf tightness, knee discomfort, and hamstring flare-ups surfaced repeatedly during 2024-25 and early 2025-26. November 2025 brought multiple calf setbacks, followed by a December 2 ankle issue versus Dallas. Still, by early January 2026, he appeared in 32 games, showing grit amid careful workload control.

This season now hinges on restraint, not heroics. So, Denver walks a tightrope between survival and self-harm. Murray remains the pulse, yet also the risk. Patience becomes strategy, minutes become medicine, and trust shifts toward balance. Because without care, one absence could easily multiply into collapse.