Jamal Murray takes advice from Klay Thompson amid ACL recovery

The Nuggets showed some fortitude Sunday, fighting off a furious Warriors rally to stay alive in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. But after facing a 3-0 deficit, their 126-121 win extended what most have deemed inevitable by this point: a first-round exit, and a wasted MVP season by Nikola Jokic. If you’re a Nuggets fan, you have to wonder: how might things be different if Jamal Murray was playing?

Murray has been MIA for over a year now since tearing his ACL against the Warriors in April of 2021. Without him, Denver was swept out of last year’s Playoffs by the Suns, extending a 12-year drought since their last conference finals appearance. There was some talk he might be ready to return this week, but it hasn’t happened yet. And with Denver still on the brink of elimination, Murray’s chances of playing this season are looking slim.

The former Kentucky star took to Twitter this week, expressing frustration at those who have criticized him for not playing:

Y’all don’t think I wanna be out there huh.. crazy

— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) April 19, 2022

In a difficult situation, the Nuggets are clearly betting on his future by holding him out. But this weekend, he got some advice from someone who knows his predicament well: Golden State’s Klay Thompson.

“Keep in mind the big picture”

If anyone in the NBA understands the mental side of returning from a major injury, it’s Thompson. The veteran sniper famously tore his ACL in the 2019 Finals, then tore his Achilles tendon the next year before even playing a game. He finally returned to the court in 2022, and his presence has been huge for the Warriors of late.

On Saturday, Thompson was asked about Murray’s situation in an interview with the Denver Post. He said that the Nuggets were making the right decision holding Murray out, with so much still on the line.

“That’s such an unfortunate feeling,” Thompson said. “I would just tell Jamal to keep in mind the big picture. He’s got a decade of greatness ahead of him. No need to compromise that now.”

After seeing Murray’s tweet, he went on to offer some more thoughts on the situation.

“It’s just unfair to him, man,” Thompson said. “What is it, less than a year? And you’re thrown into a playoff series? You can’t simulate that.“

Thompson was there the night Murray was injured, and he even helped console him in the locker room afterward. He knows better than anyone how hard it can be to sit and watch while your team struggles, but he stressed the importance of not rushing things.

“The NBA is hard, man,” Thompson said. “To come back in a playoff game, play 35 minutes and you haven’t played a year? It took me three, four months to get here… You can’t simulate the crowd, you can’t simulate the stressors that come with being on television and that performance aspect where you’re expected to be this great already.”

Murray would be well-served to follow the Splash Brother’s example. After missing more than 200 games in three years, Thompson has returned to the Warriors lineup with a vengeance; in Sunday’s Game 4, he scored 32 points.

At just 25 years old, there’s no doubt the Blue Arrow’s best days are still of him. Hopefully this time next year, we’ll be talking about one of those days.