Where do Nuggets go after Jamal Murray’s devastating ACL tear?

The Nuggets’ worst fears were realized Tuesday morning.

After Jamal Murray’s left knee buckled on a plant late in Monday’s loss to Golden State, the initial hope, according to Nuggets coach Michael Malone, was a hyperextension. But after an early evaluation by the team’s medical staff late Monday night, the concern immediately turned to something more devastating: an ACL tear.

When Murray hobbled off the court on his right leg — the one which had caused him to miss the prior four games due to knee soreness — he immediately went to a medical room at the Chase Center. After that, Murray was taken to a local hospital for an MRI. His teammates, in stunned disbelief that their unbreakable teammate was in fact susceptible to injury, didn’t get to talk with him before he left the arena.

“Everybody knows Jamal is a huge, huge piece to this team alongside Nikola (Jokic),” Nuggets backup point guard Monte Morris said in the immediate aftermath. “Just his leadership out there. He does everything. Seeing him go down like that, it’s never nothing that you can even think was going to happen. He lifts so much. His body’s strong. It’s a touchy subject. I don’t even like really speaking about injuries.”

When news of Murray’s ACL tear broke Tuesday morning, the implications on Denver’s fiery guard, the Nuggets’ now-fleeting title aspirations and next season’s championship prospects were almost endless. In the immediate, it was only three weeks ago that the Nuggets traded guards Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a future first-round pick for Orlando swingman Aaron Gordon.

Gordon’s contract status — one more year after this current season — was a perfect distillation of the Nuggets’ championship window. They made the move recognizing an opening in the West, deciding to forgo future assets to win now. Even the best-laid plans can be uprooted with an untimely, gut-wrenching step. Murray’s expected to recover toward the end of next regular season, which will elicit a whole new set of questions for another day.

Without Murray, the Nuggets’ ceiling is severely compromised for the upcoming playoffs. Instead of an unrelenting offense with a fearless, unbridled guard at its helm, the Nuggets are merely dangerous with Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. How far that gets them in the playoffs is anyone’s guess, but Murray’s injury undermines the tantalizing possibilities of the last few weeks.

Jokic, the MVP frontrunner, has already accepted more than his fair share of the burden this season. In the last week or so, that weight seemed to catch up to him. His patience with officials has waned, as has his overall engagement. Late in Sunday’s loss to Boston, he was benched after failing to hustle back on defense on consecutive possessions.

It’s not a coincidence that Jokic’s mental fortitude was tested this past week — the same week Murray was out resting a balky right knee. The Nuggets get exponentially easier to defend without the threat of the Jokic-Murray two-man dance, or the possibility of Murray turning into a 3-point flamethrower.

Already shooting a career-high 40% from 3 this season, in the 14 games after the All-Star break, Murray was connecting at a 43% clip. On any given night, he had the potential to catch fire.

Jokic is bound to feel more pressure as a result.

Malone, who’s been attached to Murray for five years running, relishes sharing how hard Murray likes to be coached. It’s one of the reasons the two have such a strong bond. Murray’s always eager to improve, and Malone has never shied away from honesty. Murray learned long ago that nothing Malone says to him is personal. The two have an understanding of what makes Murray tick.

It’s the same with Nuggets president Tim Connelly, who’s constantly in Murray’s ear, prodding and poking to get the best out of him.

Both Malone and Connelly were in awe of what Murray did in the bubble last postseason, when the then-23 year-old showed an uncanny ability to compartmentalize and thrive. Despite the swirling civil unrest outside of Orlando, Murray channeled his passion into a rare basketball space. That raw emotion, which fueled two historic 3-1 comebacks, may be the most irreplaceable trait Murray possesses.

If Jokic is the pilot, Murray is the gasoline.

Because of Morris, the Nuggets are in better position to replace their star point guard than most teams would be. His steady, consistent play has built him immense trust with Malone, and he should have no trouble conducting the offense like a true point guard. Whether he starts, or comes off the bench like he had been during Murray’s most recent absence, is up to Malone.

The injury will also spotlight the importance of Facundo Campazzo, who had been starting in Murray’s place. Once viewed as a guy on the fringes of the playoff rotation, Campazzo’s role just grew significantly.

And there’s still the possibility — now more a probability — that the Nuggets add a guard in free agency. The Denver Post reported on Monday the Nuggets had interest in free agents Austin Rivers, Troy Daniels and Gerald Green, multiple league sources said. There was hesitancy to bring in anyone without a guaranteed role, but with Murray out, that should be of far less concern.

What matters is where the Nuggets go from here. For three weeks, the Nuggets believed they were legitimate title contenders. They had star power, a defensive ace and a burgeoning belief in their potential. Murray’s injury shatters that blissful bubble, and all that’s left is to sift through the pieces and try to put it all back together.

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