This season, Jamal Murray’s sporadic entries on the injury report are essentially a crash lesson in human leg anatomy.

a tendon. a knee. each ankle. His rear end.

Here it is, a calf.

The Nuggets’ recent playoff record, both with and without Murray, has contributed to the sense of dread that has accompanied each injury, even if none of them have been serious enough to keep him out of action for longer than three weeks or so. They won a title in 2023 while he was well. They were an easy first-round exit in 2022 when he suffered an ACL tear.

Murray is currently recovering from a left calf strain as the Nuggets prepare to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 second round on Saturday, which perpetuates the uneasy cycle. When Murray scored 32 points in a close victory over the Lakers earlier this week despite having an injured calf, it served as a healthy dose of optimism.

In addition, he became the first player in NBA history to score two game-winning shots with five seconds left in a playoff series, which served as a stark reminder of what the Nuggets would be missing if the injury from overexertion worsened. Monday, in the crunch, he scored nine points, all on game-winning shots when Denver was down or tied. With the game on the line, he assumed his regular role as the team’s main scorer—better than Nikola Jokic.

It seems obvious: Murray needs to be healthy and productive if the Nuggets are to beat Minnesota and go to the Western Conference Finals. This from Anthony Edwards, a top player for the Timberwolves and one of Murray’s biggest fans.

Edwards recently stated to The Denver Post, “Jokic is the best player in the league, but they’re not a championship team without (Murray).”

In a video interview earlier this season, Edwards was asked to choose his current favorite NBA player to watch. Regarding Minnesota’s elimination from the first round by Denver in the previous season, Edwards remarked matter-of-factly, “Probably for real, for real, though, Jamal Murray.” Murray was referred to as “the truth” by him.

Denver will host the first two games of this series because of Murray’s 20 points and six assists in a 116-107 victory over the Timberwolves on April 10. The Post questioned Edwards to provide more details on this.

Edwards said, “I mean (expletive), he averaged 30 in the Western Conference Finals.” “They’re crazy if you can find someone who doesn’t consider Jamal Murray to be among the league’s best (freaking) guards,” I said. In the Western Conference Finals, he averaged thirty. They succeeded because of him. They’re not good without him, really. It really is that easy.

The comment proved to be more prophetic than even Edwards could have imagined, with a playoff rematch imminent.

Following a rout of Phoenix in which Edwards averaged 31 points, eight rebounds, 6.3 assists, and two steals, he and the Wolves are in high spirits. When Murray isn’t playing, the Nuggets are 13-10 (.565) this season. When he does, they are 48-16 (.750), including in the postseason. When he was on the court during the regular season, the Nuggets averaged 7.8 more points per possession than when he wasn’t. And Murray frequently stumbles with the Nuggets’ second unit while Jokic is on the bench, so it’s not just a Jokic-dependent statistic.

Despite his reputation as a trash talker, Edwards didn’t mean for his remark to come across as even slightly offensive. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Murray.

Edwards remarked, “He just can’t get hot.” “If he watches one go in, he may make six or seven straight, like he did this evening. I’m among the guys who enjoys seeing him perform.

If Murray tries to balance playing at a high level and being healthy, his jump shot will be the main area of worry, based on his apprehension. His field goal percentage and three-point percentage in the 2024 playoffs are 40% and 29.4%, respectively, despite the positive series conclusion versus the Lakers.

“(In Game 5) I was moving well enough to go. If you’re not moving well, that’s obviously a major deal. However, jumping was my main activity, Murray stated on Monday. “I believe it was difficult for me to get off the ground, even for simple jump shots. To avoid overstressing my calves, I made an effort to gather more deeply. I was therefore just gathering a little bit more in the first quarter of the images that I took.

“But I’m just happy I get to rest the body and come back fresh and rejuvenated against the T-Wolves now that we have a week off.”

It’s like comparing a rejuvenated Jamal Murray to a handicapped Jamal Murray, or a Denver championship player to a flop. Ant Man is aware.