Worries about Jamal Murray and Tyrese Haliburton

Are these stars falling?

BY DAVID THORPE

Since last postseason, Jamal Murray hasn’t been himself on the court. AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST

Every year around this time, we see or hear endless NBA players telling reporters that they’re “healthy and locked in” for the regular season. For fans, player confidence breeds an optimism that distracts them from what’s happening before our eyes, which sometimes packs major red flags and festering problems that could derail contenders.

For several months, Tyrese Haliburton and Jamal Murray have had alarms blaring—and the warnings are only getting louder. 

Haliburton injured his hamstring in January. Beforehand, he was shooting 3s and drawing fouls like Stephen Curry and Steve Nash. Not anymore. His scoring, shooting efficiency, and trips to the line plummeted thereafter. A “leg injury” made him a non-factor for Team USA this summer, and his mobility was suspect in the preseason.

As for Murray, the Nuggets are committing over $50 million a year to a guy who’s never been an All-Star and played poorly in last year’s playoffs. He followed that up with an abysmal showing for Team Canada in the Olympics and an uninspiring preseason. It makes me worry what might happen if Jokić realizes that Murray—now the team’s second-highest-paid player—might prevent Jokić from ever winning another title in a Nuggets uniform. 

I can feel the breeze from fans in Indy and Denver already shaking their heads. That’s okay—I hope I’m wrong about both players. But let’s not put our heads in the sand. As Henry wrote about the Bucks yesterday, you have to be right, and you have to be right a year early. Here’s what I see: