Denver Nuggets depth chart after Jamal Murray injury: Who should defending champs start at PG?

Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray suffered a strained right hamstring during the Nuggets’ 123-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Per Altitude Sports’ Katy Winge, the injury could cause Murray to miss extended time, leaving the defending champs very thin in the backcourt.

Veteran point guard Reggie Jackson stepped up in Murray’s absence to close Saturday’s game against Chicago. He also got the start during the Nuggets’ 134-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

Most would agree that Jackson is not an ideal starting point guard. However, he is a proven veteran scorer and playmaker with 13 years of NBA experience. So, he marks the most logical choice to fill in for Murray.

Murray’s injury should also create more opportunities for Denver’s young guards. This includes sophomore Christian Braun, rookies Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett and two-way contract player Collin Gillespie.

Per ESPN, Denver’s updated depth chart without Jamal Murray is as follows:

Point Guard: Reggie Jackson, Jalen Pickett, Collin Gillespie

Shooting Guard: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther

Small Forward: Michael Porter Jr., Justin Holiday

Power Forward: Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson

Center: Nikola Jokic, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan, Jay Huff

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Reggie Jackson on becoming a starter in Jamal Murray’s absence

Denver Nuggets veteran point guard Reggie Jackson

Following Denver’s win over Chicago on Saturday, Reggie Jackson spoke about getting the chance to play with the Nuggets’ starters in Jamal Murray’s absence.

Jackson said that he tried to adjust as best as possible without disrupting the starting unit’s chemistry:

“Tried to adapt to the environment,” Jackson said.

“Just figure out how to not mess it up and then be aggressive in the spots that I can be aggressive in. That group really knows how to play off each other, so you have to be in the proper spacing and it makes it easy.”

Jackson finished with a season-high 16 points, one rebound, three assists, one block and three 3-pointers on 60.0% shooting in 25 minutes. However, he followed that up with just seven points, one rebound, four assists and one 3-pointer on 25.0% shooting in 24 minutes against the Pelicans.

Jackson is averaging 8.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 3-pointers per game on 41.9% shooting through eight games.

In comparison, Murray is averaging 16.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 7.4 apg, 0.3 spg and 2.0 3pg on 43.3% shooting through seven games.