During a matchup against the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray suffered a scary injury with just a few minutes left in the second quarter. Murray accidentally stepped on teammate Aaron Gordon’s foot, and he looked to have rolled his ankle in the process. With a significant limp, Murray headed back to the locker room early and was questionable to return with an ankle sprain.

Nuggets fans may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, though, as Murray’s injury might not be as severe as once feared.

According to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, Murray debated re-entering the game after halftime, but wasn’t liking how his ankle was responding. Murray’s decision to not re-enter the game drew praise from Malone.

“It’s great for him to realize being cautious right now is being the prudent decision. And that shows maturity,” Malone said postgame. “… The question is never can you go play, it’s can you play effectively?”

Prior to his departure, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets’ offense were firing on all cylinders. Murray shot 2-for-3 from three-point range, with one shot being a buzzer-beater triple in the first quarter.

Jamal Murray is a warrior

Murray has been battling nagging ankle injuries all season, yet he has still been able to power through and put on superstar performances.

“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around,” Malone continued. “Mentally, physically. He can play through things that a lot of guys wouldn’t even consider playing through.”

The Nuggets fly out to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. While Jamal Murray’s injury update was encouraging, his status is still up in the air. Malone says that if he’s unable to play, they’ll give it another shot against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Murray, who will earn approximately $36MM in the final year of his current contract in 2024/25, will be eligible to sign an extension worth up to his standard max (30% of the cap) this offseason. If he wants to play out his current deal, he could still qualify for a super-max contract (worth 35% of the cap) with the Nuggets by making an All-NBA team in 2024/25.

Murray joins Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and LaMelo Ball as a few of the stars who are no longer eligible for an All-NBA berth or other major awards in 2023/24 due to the number of games they’ve missed. Others, including Trae Young, may join that group before the end of the season.