Jamal Murray: The League’s Next Great Guard
Jamal Murray is proving that his improbable NBA Bubble run was far from a fluke. After going on a tear in the first round and dueling Donovan Mitchell, then continuing his great play in the next two rounds, many NBA peers were wondering if the Blue Arrow was poised to actually make the next jump in his development, or was just a product of the Bubble. Well, it is safe to say that the beginning of this season has shown that the Denver Nuggets’ combo guard is already looking All-Star ready. After starting off slowly in game one of the regular season, Murray has cranked up the heat since then and looks as if he is not going to be slowing down. In an already star-studded guard-oriented NBA, Jamal Murray is next in line to claim greatness.
Jamal Murray: Ready to Take the League by Storm
Jamal Murray: Last Year’s Playoffs
Murray made himself a household name in last year’s postseason. It started in the series against the Utah Jazz where he and Donovan Mitchell were scorching hot and making history. They both became the first players since Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson to have multiple 50-point performances in a playoff series. For that particular series, Murray averaged 31.6 points, 53.3 percent from three-point range, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He was only getting started.
The next round saw Murray and his All-Star teammate, Nikola Jokic, make one of the best Cinderella runs in NBA history. They came back from three games to one down again against the title favorite, the Los Angeles Clippers. For this series, the Blue Arrow tallied 22.6 points, 43.8 percent shooting from three-point land, 4.3 rebounds, and seven assists per game. Jamal Murray had proven he was the real deal. For the entire postseason, he put up totals of 26.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and a three-point shooting percentage of 45.3 percent. This has carried over into this current season.
The Blue Arrow: His Year So Far
Jamal Murray had a relatively quiet night in the first game of the year against the Sacramento Kings. Once the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers came, the Murray we all fell in love within the Bubble arrived. Since then, he has been scorching. As of January 4, 2021, Jamal is tallying a career-high in points with 24.0 points per game, three assists, 4.6 total rebounds, and an effective field goal percentage of 58.2 percent. That is a higher effective field goal percentage than what other elite point guards in Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Trae Young possess. One has to think if the Denver Nuggets can get back on a consistent winning track, then Jamal Murray should be an easy first-time All-Star this season. With that, he is also on track to joining the NBA’s ranks of elite guards.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
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