Now, even Jamal Murray is on the injury report against the Cavs, but there is a silver lining

It seems so Denver Nuggets I can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries. Aaron Gordon and Christian Brown missed multiple weeks with hamstring and ankle injuries, and Cam Johnson and Nikola Jokić recently succumbed to knee injuries it will bypass them indefinitely. Now, ahead of the Nuggets’ first game of 2026 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Murray is located at injury report.

Jokic, Johnson, Gordon and Brown are all set to start 2026 in Denver. Four of the Nuggets’ five starters went down with various injuries, leaving Murray as the last man left in the team’s starting rotation in early January.

Even the Nuggets’ depth has been hit hard by injury, as Jonas Valanciunas suffered a calf strain in his first start of the season replacing Jokić. With Valanciunas now set to miss at least a month, even more pressure is on Murray. However, the Nuggets guard appeared on the injury report with a sprained left ankle.

The good news about Murray is that he is listed as probable for Friday’s game against Cleveland. Coach David Adelman can breathe a sigh of relief about Murray, as losing him would leave Denver without its entire starting five.

After playing the Cavs on Friday night, the Nuggets will play back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday against the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. If Murray continues to suffer from a sprained ankle, he is likely to miss one of these games.

Despite battling numerous injuries and missing a significant portion of their offensive production, the The Nuggets continued to push forward and rely on their newfound depth. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown were key additions to this team in the offseason to add additional depth to their bench, and both veterans have stepped up in the absence of Denver’s starter.

Even fourth-year forward Peyton Watson has stepped into a much bigger role of late, averaging 16.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor over the past three games.

While the Nuggets’ depth will definitely be tested without Jokic and others on the court, at least Adelman and the team can continue to lean on Murray, who could very well be on his way to his first All-Star appearance, averaging 25.1 points per game this season.