Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Perhaps the best performances by any player last season came in the NBA playoffs when Jamal Murray elevated his game to the next level and looked like one of the league’s most lethal offensive players. The Denver Nuggets have one of the most talented players in the league under the age of 24 and he put on a showdown in Orlando.
In the playoffs, Murray averaged 26.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds while shooting 50.5% from the floor and 45.3% from three-point range. The 23-year old guard made a total of 62 3-pointers in his 19-game postseason run, setting the all-time record for any player 25-years old or younger in a single postseason.
Let’s not forget, Murray also scored 40+ points in four games during the Nuggets postseason run, including two 50-point games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Utah Jazz. He joined his opponent in that series, Donovan Mitchell, as two of the four players in NBA history to score 50+ points twice in the same playoff series, joining the likes of Michael Jordan (1988) and Allen Iverson (2001).
While Murray has never eclipsed more than 18.5 points per game during the course of a season, he is expected to be the main offensive focus for the Denver Nuggets this upcoming season due to his emergence in the playoffs. Along with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray is the leader of this team and if they are to continue having the success they have had year-after-year, it will be because of the play of Murray.
Near the end of last year, Murray was dealing with some leg and foot injuries that hindered his abilities, but after having time to heal up and rest, Jamal Murray is fully healthy heading into the 2020-21 NBA Season and has a chance to not only be named an NBA All-Star, but draw some attention for Most Improved Player as well.
He has proven his abilities to be one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA when he gets going and on a Denver Nuggets team that relies so heavily on the production of both Jokic and Murray, he could statistically have the best season he has ever had and one of the best seasons a Nuggets’ guard has ever had. The Nuggets’ chances to contend in the Western Conference are not because of Nikola Jokic and his versatility, but because of Jamal Murray’s pure scoring abilities.
This team will go as far as Jamal Murray can take them and at only 23-years old, the future is extremely bright for Murray and the Denver Nuggets.
