Denver Nuggets Have A Genuine Rising Star In Jamal Murray
Denver’s rookie has a long way to go, but he’s showing plenty of signs of his diverse offensive potential already.
36 points. 13-of-19 shooting. 9-of-14 from three. 11 assists. One more fun reminder that Jamal Murray has an exciting future. Another statement why he was worth taking seventh overall in last year’s draft and why the Denver Nuggets can be pleased they have that growing talent on their young roster.
Sure, all those numbers didn’t come in a competitive game. They erupted from Murray’s hot hand in the NBA All-Star Rising Stars challenge, when Murray scored 18 points in the last six and a half minutes alone in a game in which 291 total points were put on the board. Defense was nowhere to be seen and we know it’s a platform made for guys to go off for entertainment. Nevertheless, it felt like a sign of what could come in the future for Murray.
It’s because of what he’s shown us so far in his rookie season. At a first glance, you might not be too impressed. Browsing through his stats won’t make your jaw drop or raise an eyebrow. He’s played 19.9 minutes a night and put up 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals and a 11.3 PER, adding 39.3 percent shooting from the floor and a 33 percent shot from three-point range; not exactly the breathtaking numbers you’d dream of from someone who’s a scorer and shooter first and foremost. Shooting 24.3 percent from three and 36.5 percent overall through 30 games in December and January is also unsightly to say the least.
However, you can’t take a rookie’s potential or performance on stats alone. Especially one who’s so young. With Murray, someone who hasn’t been an instant starter and is just 19 years old, you have to look at the ability he’s displayed with a good old eye test. We’ve seen waves of stellar shooting when he’s hot. We’ve seen how effective he can be coming off screens. We’ve seen him create smooth jumpers off crisp step backs and find shots for himself with soft floaters inside.
Essentially, Murray has given us more signs of promise than some of his basic numbers show. At 19 years old, that’s what you want. You want moments that impress you, that set him apart from others. Like, for instance, Buddy Hield, a one-dimensional shooter without much ability as a playmaker, driver or defender, now weighed down by the pressure of being the Sacramento Kings’ main return in the DeMarcus Cousins trade. Ouch.
There have been plenty of nights when Murray has put everything together, dropping 15 or 20 points with an array of his offensive moves. He did that consistently in November, tallying three straight 20+ point games and finishing the month with an average of 12.3 points on 41.3 percent shooting (42.7 percent from three with 2.1 makes) to become the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Since receiving a bump in playing time from December and early January now, too, Murray has been back at it this month, averaging 12.3 points again with 42.4/36.6/100 shooting splits.
His recent 20-point showing against the San Antonio Spurs on February 4, one that included 8-of-12 shooting, gave perfect examples of some of his scoring.
While he can’t bury tough shots off the dribble like this all the time, Murray has proven that he’s capable of finding shots for himself already. As he gets better at creating space and choosing the right spots, he’ll only improve in time:
Nifty floaters are another part of Murray’s game. On this play, the way he cleverly stutters his dribble and quickly shifts back to the arc to throw off Joel Anthony is good to see. The more tricks and patience Murray develops to keep creating in the NBA, the better:
Murray’s knack of getting inside has impressed. It’s something else that sets him apart from Hield, with a 59.2 shooting percentage on attempts within three feet as a more than respectable mark to show for his efforts so far, not to mention a 46.9 shooting percentage on drives. Murray’s handle, while still in need of some refinement, is stronger than Hield’s, and he’s shown some nice awareness and craftiness to manoeuvre past opponents and get shots off to maintain that solid efficiency.
Here, on an and-one drive against the Phoenix Suns, Murray is smart to wait for a second screen from Kenneth Faried to find a clearer lane the second time before attacking and using a quick hesitation move to deter Alex Len and move past for the high finish off glass:
Murray is showing that he can adjust well in the air when reacting to how a defender is trying to contest, which is impressive for someone who’s barely getting started at 19. This transition finish past the 6'11" Dwight Powell demonstrates just that, as Murray switches from his right hand to his left in mid-air and calmly drops the layup home without any help from the backboard (Murray’s well-timed block from behind on Seth Curry to start the fastbreak is also a good example of the effort he’s put forth on defense at times):
This fake against the San Antonio Spurs to divert Kawhi Leonard’s attention was also pretty:
One area of Murray’s game that will need plenty of progression over his early years, as expected, is his playmaking. He entered this league as a scorer and that’s where he excelled first and foremost at Kentucky, so this isn’t news. Ranking in the 36th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball handler and recording 3.2 assists to 2.4 turnovers per 36 minutes isn’t fantastic. But that was going to be the case for a scorer who only needed to start showing growth as a complimentary playmaker.
Signs of playmaking potential is all the Nuggets want, and they’re allowing him to run point at times (well, exactly 21 percent of the time, to be precise). Four assists in 23 minutes in the Nuggets’ 132–110 win against the Golden State Warriors on February 13 was another indication of that, as Murray used a host of high screens to penetrate inside while staying aware of open shooters he could look to at the arc, as you can see in this simple example:
In time, Murray will surely go beyond initiating the offense in controlled bursts and embrace a greater role by driving and kicking more, running pick-and-rolls effectively and generally finding more comfort at point.
The major benefit for Murray in Denver is that he has one of the best passing bigs, or arguably even the best, to play with in Nikola Jokic. Since starting Jokic on December 15, the Nuggets have ranked second in the league in offensive rating, a mere 0.6 points per 100 possessions (113.8 to 114.4) behind the historically loaded Golden State Warriors. They can run so much through Jokic’s remarkable poise, vision and touch to dish out dimes from the arc and elbows, delivering effortless passes over defenses to cutters or finding shooters in rhythm at just the right time on the perimeter. This allows a young guard like Murray, one just starting to work on becoming the best combo guard he can be, by going to work in more ways off the ball without as much pressure.
It creates opportunities like this, for Murray to fake Stephen Curry and cut inside, as Jokic can lure rim protecting centers up to the elbows to create space under the basket and then quarterback the offense:
Having Jokic to play off going forward, whether that’s creating chances to cut or receive the ball to shoot off screens, only helps alleviate the pressure on Murray to rush his development as a ball handler. He has help this way and can better play to his strengths, something that was only furthered by the Nuggets’ recent addition of Mason Plumlee, another terrific passing big. The 19.9 nightly minutes Murray has received at such a young age goes a long way to accelerating his early development, too.
Is Murray about to become a star? No. But that’s not what anyone is expecting yet. He didn’t enter the league as a close-to-finished 23-year-old prospect like Buddy Hield (no offense to Hield; it’s just a logical comparison as the guard drafted ahead of Murray).
Instead, Murray is showing off more promise, showcasing skill as a combo guard with better handles, shot creation, and simply more room to grow as a 19-year-old already ticking various boxes as a quality player in the making.
Whether Jamal Murray becomes a strong high volume starter or a star guard is yet to be seen. It’s too early for such certainty. What we do know is that he’s more than just a Rising Stars MVP. He’s actually on the rise.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.
