Wind Chimes: Jamal Murray’s return? You can feel it getting closer

Welcome to Wind Chimes, a notebook of reporting, observations and analysis from me about what I’ve seen, heard and talked to people around the team about over the last week.

Could Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both return this season?

The sense I get is that they’ll both certainly try to.

Let’s start with the one who’s closer to a return. I’ve watched Jamal Murray warm up before most Nuggets home games this season, and it’s obvious that he’s warming up with a different tenacity now than he did just a few weeks ago. I still don’t think Murray’s going 100% in warmups quite yet, but he’s progressing in that direction. He’s performing more and more of the drills that he’d typically put himself through before games that he would be playing in.

Before the Nuggets hosted the Jazz on Saturday, Murray warmed up without a sleeve over his left knee/leg. It’s the first time this season that I can remember Murray taking the floor without it.

Another step in his return? Perhaps.

Now Jamal Murray is attacking from mid court, changing directions, and dunking. pic.twitter.com/xVOZfdgCse

— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) January 16, 2022

Michael Porter Jr. feels further away from a return than Murray. He “warmed up” for the first time before a game on Jan. 3 prior to the Nuggets visit with the Mavs. He “warmed up” for the first time on the Ball Arena main floor last week before the Denver hosted Portland. I’m putting “warmed up” in parentheses because it’s tough to call what Porter’s been doing a true warm-up. He’s doing mostly stationary shooting without much movement.

First time I’ve seen Michael Porter Jr. shooting before a Nuggets home game this season. It’s all just stationary, but he’s working his way back. pic.twitter.com/8ZCu79IVRU

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 14, 2022

Both Murray and Porter have been warming up under the watchful eyes of Denver’s team doctors. In Porter’s case, Matt Tuttle, the team’s Director of Sports Science and Physical Therapist, is always watching Porter closely. Before he started to get shots up last week prior to Nuggets-Blazers Tuttle and Porter convened, most likely about just how much Porter is allowed to do and how far he can push himself at this given moment.

Muray had surgery on April 21, 2021. In three days, he’ll be at the 9-month mark post-surgery. I think it’s realistic that he could return in around one month, which would put him around the 10-month mark post-surgery. That’s just under the 11 months it took Zach LaVine to return from his torn ACL. LaVine underwent surgery on his knee on Feb. 14, 2017. He made his return on Jan. 13, 2018, when he logged 19 minutes in a win over the Pistons.

My prediction at this moment: Jamal Murray returns around the All-Star break. Denver’s two games bordering that break are Feb. 16 in Golden State and Feb. 24 in Sacramento. That would put him at around 10 months post-surgery.

I could see a scenario where Porter misses the rest of the year, but the fact that he’s on the floor and progressing is encouraging. He still seems a ways away. However, I’m not going to close the door on him returning this season. Late-March feels like the earliest that could happen.

More Chimes

How Jeff Green is maximizing Facu Campazzo

It’s 1.5 years into the Facu Campazzo experience and we know by now that he’s at his best when he’s playing alongside a strong rim roller. It’s partly why he’s more effective when sharing the floor with Nikola Jokic. Campazzo popped at times when he played next to Isaiah Hartenstein and JaVale McGee last season too.

This season and more particularly over the last few weeks, Campazzo has discovered a strong pick-and-roll chemistry with Jeff Green, the Nuggets’ best rim roller not named Jokic. It’s a development Michael Malone and his staff have picked up on. Malone’s substitution chart always has Green slotted as the Nuggets’ first sub of the game so that he can come back in with the second unit to close the first and third quarters. Denver’s coach wants either Jokic or Green, the Nuggets’ two centers, on the floor at all times.

The Campazzo-Green pairing has led to some of Denver’s best highlights of the season.

These are grown man finishes from, well, a grown man. Green is 35 but dunks like he’s 25. He has 34 dunks in 35 games this season. That’s more dunks than Ja Morant (29) and Julius Randle (27) and only two fewer than Anthony Edwards (37). Credit Campazzo for setting Green up for many of these finishes.

Green has been solid for Denver this season. He hasn’t been a revelation, but he hasn’t been a disappointment either. He’s just been solid. That’s what the Nuggets expected when they signed him last summer. Green’s averaging 10.6 points on 51.9% shooting from the field and 34% from 3. He’s hauling in 3.1 rebounds and handing out 1.3 assists per game. You wish Green’s 3-point shooting percentage was higher after he concerted 41.2% of his 3-pointers last season, but 34% is actually his career average from distance.

His chemistry with Campazzo is an important development for a team without a true backup five, and I wonder if Green’s last few weeks at backup center have changed Denver thinking ahead of next month’s trade deadline. The Nuggets will still likely canvass the league for available centers — unless Denver’s planning for that to be DeMarcus Cousins who is still expected to be signed soon — but Green’s been a capable fill-in there.

What the Nuggets saw in Davon Reed

I’ve gotten a lot of questions over the last few weeks about why the Nuggets originally preferred Davon Reed to Lance Stephenson back in December when Denver made its first 10-day signing of the season. Reed’s defense on LeBron James over the weekend was a big reason why he was the Nuggets’ choice.

Many have wondered why the Nuggets originally preferred Davon Reed to Lance Stephenson. Reed’s defensive upside played a huge factor.

Also, Reed has just four turnovers in 265 minutes this season. He has zero turnovers in his last 5 games (70 minutes).pic.twitter.com/7Y5RvnzJHi

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 16, 2022

There’s no doubt that Stephenson’s offense could have helped the Nuggets. He’s hit double-figure scoring in three of the 13 games he’s appeared in while splitting time between the Hawks and Pacers on 10-day deals. Stephenson also exploded for 30 points vs. the Nets earlier this month but has hit a cold streak and is shooting just 10-37 from the floor over his last four games.

But Denver valued what Reed could bring to the table more. The Nuggets liked his defense and ability to play all three guard positions. He was also the logical choice early on this season since the Nuggets needed an immediate contributor and Reed had corporate knowledge of Denver’s terminology and playbook from his time around the team during training camp.

I think the Nuggets also looked at Reed as a multi-year piece to their puzzle, not a one-year reclamation project like some around the league viewed Stephenson. Reed was still eligible to sign a two-way deal this season since he has three years or less of NBA service, which he did on Jan. 9.  Stephenson did not.

The Nuggets think Reed can be a part of their future. Denver would love to have him on its roster next season. Reed has 16 steals in just 280 minutes this year. That’s more than Austin Rivers has in 622 minutes, Jeff Green has in 967 minutes and PJ Dozier had in 340 minutes before tearing his ACL. Reed also only has four turnovers all season and hasn’t turned the ball over in seven games, or in his last 112 minutes.

Davon Reed is an absolute dog. He never loses focus and never takes a play off. The 26-year-old is a young, cheap, defensively-solid, low-mistake, fringe-rotation piece that Malone trusts. That’s tough to find.

Question of the Week

Last week I asked you what your favorite Nuggets uniform of all time was. Here’s what DNVR Member ChillDucey said:

“My favorite uni of all time is a toss-up between frat-party-favorite blue skyline and the Mile High Cities. Mile High City is so clean and my favorite uni from the current era – which is easily the most important era to me in any fahood experience.

Important for me to note that the light blue UCLA unis/era was terrible IMO and there was a reason you never saw nuggets gear around town. Because it was ugly.”

My favorite Nuggets jersey is the Mile High City. Denver debuted them in 2018 and for me, they’re still a cut above the rest of the uniforms from the Jokic era. They’re simple but bold. They’re unique but not over the top. It’s the jersey that’s going to be the most synonymous with the Jokic Era IMO and the best years of Nuggets basketball.

And I agree that the powder blue Nuggets Melo-era uniforms are ugly. They’re an eyesore now. If you’re wearing that jersey, I’m sorry but your fanhood automatically gets discounted. However, you can say that they did their job to an extent. When you see that jersey, you automatically associate it with the 2000 era of Nuggets basketball. The Nuggets drafting Carmelo Anthony. Countless first-round playoff losses. The incredible regular seasons. The Conference Finals run. Anthony Carter not being able to inbound the ball vs. the Lakers. Losing to the Warriors in 2013.

They were ugly but memorable in a way.

Here’s this week’s question:

What’s the most memorable sporting event that you’ve seen in person?

I’ll give my answer in next week’s column. I look forward to reading yours.