Goal #3: Joining the 50-40-90 Shooting Club
Murray is a bucket-getter already. That’s clear, and he’s barely scratched the surface as a scorer. Nonetheless, there are still ways he can be more consistent.
He’s a knockdown shooter off-the-catch, but he can still be better there. He shot a quality 37.8 percent clip on 5.4 attempts per contest, and a scorching 45.5 percent from the corner. With more creators in Thomas and eventually Porter opening some things up for him, it’s foreseeable for him to eclipse the 40 percent mark from three.
He graded out in the 88th percentile in spot-ups, but Murray does need to improve in his own shot creation. His confidence in the off-the-bounce game is getting better, and when he has mismatches via switch-outs with bigs, he needs to take advantage as much as possible. This sequence on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams shows his tantalizing potential as a scorer off the dribble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTlYvDwxSu4
If he does this sort of thing more consistently, then teams will have even more trouble with Jokic. Along with the perimeter shooting, Murray should go to the rim more often.
The Denver Nuggets have a number of perimeter threats, and teams can never have enough three-point assassins. Murray is an underrated high-flyer, too, though. His shooting percentage at 0-three feet from the rim (61.7 percent lifetime) could be better if he finished with authority more often. In transition, especially, he’s a rim-wrecker.
Jamal Murray loves his job. Here's why:#NBADunkWeek https://t.co/CB0SQ5OQBV
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 27, 2018
If the young guard drives more, he’ll have more free throw chances. Last season, he had a healthy free throw rate of 23.8 percent, and he made 90.5 percent of those. While he shouldn’t shy away from perimeter looks, he doesn’t have to settle all the time, either. That includes splashing from the mid-range area, too. In a career-high 38-point game against the Portland Trail Blazers, his full arsenal was on display.
Jokic is an unbelievable big man, and he’s the Denver Nuggets’ best player. There’s no disputing that, but if Murray can keep ascending, the Nuggets should be in the postseason. Him becoming a borderline-All-Star will be the reason they could turn into a contender in the next few seasons.
