‘Always nice being home.’ Jamal Murray basks in cheers from Raptors fans, looks ahead to World Cup

The cheers from the crowd rang a little louder than usual for a visiting player when Jamal Murray was introduced before tipoff Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The Denver Nuggets guard hadn’t played a game in Toronto since December 2018, largely due to COVID and a devastating knee injury that kept him out for a season.

He reportedly bought upwards of 50 tickets for family and friends, many of whom he grew up with in nearby Kitchener.

“Always nice being home,” the 26-year-old said after the game, a 125-110 Nuggets loss.

“Seeing everybody, seeing people I haven’t seen for years, see my family obviously, my little brother. It’s always good,” he added. “Obviously I come from a small town so I have a good name out there in Kitchener. It’s just nice to see everybody in Toronto.”

Drafted seventh overall by the Nuggets in 2016, Murray is in the midst of a stellar bounce-back season following a torn ACL in April 2021 that kept him out all of last season.

Murray has suited up for 55 games this season for Denver. He is averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. In 40 minutes of action Tuesday, he scored 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and nine assists.

Prior to his lengthy absence, he had already cemented his place in the NBA as a prolific bucket-getter especially when it matters most — leading the Nuggets to historic back-to-back comebacks from 3-1 series deficits against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020 “bubble” playoffs.

Murray’s bond with Toronto and Canada can also be seen in his commitment to represent the country. He has played for Team Canada since 2013 for the U16 squad, and is among a pool of players expected to boost the country’s chance at both the World Cup and the Olympics.

A short video tribute of Murray wearing Canada’s uniform was played on the arena’s jumbotron at the end of the first quarter of Tuesday’s game, inciting more acclamation from a sellout crowd.

Asked if he believes Team Canada, under the tutelage of Nick Nurse, has what it takes to bring gold home, Murray didn’t hesitate.

“I believe so. I mean, I’m trying to win a (NBA) championship first,” he said. “Once we lock in the summer, I think it will be nice to see other guys.”

Team Canada is expected to be in Jakarta in late August this year to begin the FIBA World Cup competition. The goal is to finish the tournament among the top two teams of the Americas to secure an automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Prior to the game, Nurse praised Murray’s on-court skills and his desire to compete. Along with young stars like Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others, Nurse said he can foresee a successful future for Team Canada.

“I think that they’re both very committed, they both have been around in the camps and (have a) very good attitude toward playing,” he said. “I feel like Jamal really wants to play… I think mentally and even verbally he’s in.”

Murray is also fond of Gilgeous-Alexander and how he’s taken his game to another level. The 24-year-old from Toronto is averaging 31.2 points per game for the Thunder, and was named to the NBA all-star team for the first time in his career this year.

“He’s playing great. He’s playing really good,” said Murray, hyping his fellow Canadian’s ability to be aggressive and lead his team.

“His game speaks for itself. He’s playing amazing.”

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