Scouting Report: Jamal Murray

Name: Jamal Murray DOB: 2/23/1997 (19) School: Kentucky

Height: 6’4 Weight: 207 Projected Position: PG/SG

Wingspan: 6’6.5 Standing Reach: 8’1

2015-16 Stats:

20.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.3 tpg (35.2 mpg)

45.4 FG%, 78.3 FT%, 40.8 3FG%, 59.0 TS%, 55.9 eFG%

27.1 USG%, 12.1 AST%, 12.1 TOV%, 1.6 STL%, 0.96:1 A/TO

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Ballhandling/Penetration/Passing

Murray is a very good ballhandler, with the ability to use both hands well, and able to attack the basket, or create space for his shot, in either direction. Murray doesn’t have good speed, but he uses his body well and can be physical off the dribble. His first step isn’t very good, but he can draw defenders out tight due to his shooting ability, and a shot fake can get him all the space he needs to go. With his lack of speed getting to the rim, Murray relies on craftiness, though he can get careless with the ball, especially when he does things like going behind his back or through the legs for no real reason. For the most part though, he is smooth as he maneuvers through the defense, and shows decent control. Murray is an inconsistent finisher around the basket, but can finish with his left or right, and can be creative. He uses his body well to create separation around the basket, and doesn’t seem to mind absorbing some contact. His lack of speed can allow the help defenders to get into position, and he will use a floater or runner to score, though he hasn’t found any real consistency with them yet. Also, he needs to watch a bad tendency to push off as he’s trying to clear space, and referees seemed to catch on to it more as the season went on.

Murray works well out of the pick-and-roll, with the ability to find, or create, his own shots or set up his teammates, either rolling to the rim or spotting up on the perimeter. He shows good patience, drawing defenders, and making his reads. Murray comes off the screen well, and can show decent acceleration, but often not enough to get to the basket, so if he’s going to shoot, it will be a jumper off the dribble. He has very good vision and instincts, and can make some very strong passes, though his decision making can be spotty, and can have a tendency to hold on to the ball too long looking for his own shot. Still, Murray can be a creative passer, and shows good touch on some difficult passes, but will also overestimate his ability to squeeze the ball in tight spaces or get the ball crosscourt. As discussed more below, Murray has the shooting ability to be effective in both the mid- and long-range areas off of the pick-and-roll, but he has yet to find anything close to the same success off the dribble that he does as a spot shooter.

Perimeter Shooting

Murray is an excellent long-range shooter, especially when he can spot up. He does a good job getting square to the basket, gets into his motion right off the catch, often showing nice bounce from his legs, and has a quick release. Murray has NBA three-point range already as a spot shooter, and can consistently hit out to 25-26 feet. The quick release is important, as at just 6’4, Murray did have problems getting good looks against longer defenders, and Kentucky made a great adjustment during the season, to take the ball out of Murray’s hands and running him off of screens to free him. Murray does a great job moving off the ball, coming off of screens tight and ready to shoot, and using multiple moves, if necessary, to free himself for a shot. At time, he can be a streaky shooter, and if he tends to miss a couple of shots in a row, he will often try to force shots to get into a rhythm. Murray is not as effective off the dribble, though he does a good job using his dribble or screens to clear space, especially as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. If he can come to a stop and go straight up, he is fine, but the issue he tries to force things, letting his body fade, or taking jumpers of off one foot.

Free Throw Shooting

Murray is a good free throw shooter, hitting 78 percent on the year, though you’d expect him to be a bit better based on his shooting ability. Murray has a consistent routine and motion, with good follow-through, but his motion can be very compact, and with not enough use of his legs, he often ends up short on the free throws he misses. He doesn’t get to the free throw line all that often, just a 28 percent free throw rate, but he does have a tendency to draw contact when he is aggressive going to the basket, which doesn’t happen too often. Based on the number of jumpers he shoots, 28 percent free throw rate is fairly reasonable. I expect him to raise that number a bit in the NBA, as well as his free throw shooting percentage.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

While Murray is not an awful defender, he doesn’t seem to really understand the finer points on how to defend, and ends up moving around with little purpose. On the ball, he positions himself well at times, but he will often try to pressure the ball, even if he doesn’t have the quickness to prevent his man from getting by him. That’s been a staple of the John Calipari Kentucky teams for years now, as there are always shot blockers around the rim to help, but it’s not going to help Murray as he transitions to the NBA. He can show good lateral movement over very short distances, but after a few steps, he will often get beat on the edge, so he needs to learn how to play angles a bit better. Murray can react well to changes in direction, but he will often overcompensate for his lack of quickness by trying to anticipate the change, which good ballhandlers are able to take advantage of by going back in the original direction. Also, if forced to guard the ball for more than a few steps, he seems to lose his way, starts crossing his feet, and can get turned around. Murray does show active feet and hands, forcing the defender to make a move, but he gets caught reaching at the ball, again allowing a ballhandler to take advantage of his misplay. Murray can have trouble as a pick-and-roll defender, and he needs to work on getting over screens instead of going under, as he usually does, or waiting for a switch. Murray’s effort closing on shooters can vary, but he does need to watch a tendency to get caught in the air from a shot fake, especially if he does put the effort in to close.

Off the ball, Murray positions himself well and shows average movement, and while he can deny passing lanes effectively, at times, he needs to watch a tendency to overplay and turn his back on the ballhandler. He is active off the ball, sometimes a little too active, moving between help positions, and he can end up completely out of position, though it sometimes does pay off, as he has a knack for being around loose balls. Murray has above-average awareness, and he always seems to be looking to try and make a play on defense. He can be could at anticipating and jumping passing lanes, leading to quick points on the other end, but as with the shot fakes, he can get drawn out of position easily with a pass fake due to his eagerness to cause a turnover. Murray’s reaction time needs work, especially when defending a shooter, like himself, who is active in looking to get free. Also, he can have some problems navigating through off-ball screens, and while he will try to find shortcuts, there are times when he picks a strange path that doesn’t get him to his man in time.

Rebounding

Murray is a good rebounder for his size, on both ends of the floor. He does a great job tracking the ball, and can be crafty as he maneuvers his way into position. On the offensive end, he is often tracking down his own misses, but he is smart about being active after he puts up the shot, moving past his defender before they can put a body on him. He won’t often attempt a quick second shot, unless he is wide open, but he does a good job bringing the ball back out and restarting the offense. On the defensive side, he shows the same ability to track the ball and maneuver around, no matter where he is on the floor, which also allows him to get involved if the big guys are tipping the ball around to try and get control. Once he gets the defensive rebound, he is capable of turning up the floor quickly and starting the team in transition.

Transition

Transition offense is a mixed bag with Murray. He is at his best when he is running one of the wings and spotting up for the long-range jumper. Transition defenders are left with a choice between giving an excellent shooter an open look, or if they stick close to him, it opens up the rest of the floor. Murray as a transition ballhandler is a slightly different story. He is capable of pushing the ball up the floor, showing strong vision and passing ability, at times, but he also has a habit of holding on to the ball too long looking to make his own play. As discussed above, the longer Murray is dribbling, the more likely he is to make a mistake. Still, when he can get to the basket, he is a good finisher, and can occasionally knock down the open pull-jumper when he has the space.

Intangibles/Summary

It’s easy to split Murray’s season into two distinct portions; the first part was a bit of the mess, with Murray working to create his own shot attempts, which didn’t work out well. In the second half, John Calipari decided to take him off the ball more and run him off of screens, freeing him for what he does best, knocking down spot jumpers from long-range. As mentioned, Murray is at his best as a spot shooter, showing good form, a quick release, and NBA three-point range, along with an advanced ability to move without the ball to get open, all which he needs because he doesn’t have great size and can struggle getting good looks against longer defenders (see games vs. Indiana and Texas A&M). He’s a bit streaky, at times, but his confidence never wavers. Murray is also good as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, showing patience, making decent reads, with good vision and passing ability, even without the speed to really get defenders scrambling. He’s not as good of a shooter off the dribble, but he knows how to clear space well. Murray’s shooting ability also pays off in transition, as he can either end up with very open looks, or drawing defenders to him, which opens up the floor for teammates. Defensively, Murray is just not very good, but has become very skilled at making it look like he knows what he’s doing. He’s active, constantly moving, and even shows good lateral movement over short distances, but he doesn’t have the speed to stay with many guards, and he has yet to learn how to do things like play angles to minimize his disadvantages. Also, he trouble with screens, on and off the ball, and needs to work on his movement to get over or around them. Murray has decent awareness, and he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to get to loose balls or deflected passes, but he can also end up out of position a lot, without the size or speed to recover and close back on his man. Murray is a good rebounder for his size, showing good instincts and the ability to weave through players to sneak in and grab a missed shot. Murray isn’t a bad athlete, and at times will show surprising leaping ability, but he lacks speed and strong movement, making it difficult for him to defend either backcourt spot. He is competitive, and seems to respond well to coaching, and even his effort seems to be there, even if it doesn’t always look like it.

Draft Value: Late Lottery – #8-14

The value for Murray depends somewhat on if you think he can be an NBA-level point guard, which he probably isn’t, at least if you want to maximize what he does well. He’s a shooter with some point guard skills, but no matter which position you put him, he’s going to have trouble defending it. Still, shooters are needed at the NBA level, and that gives Murray a good deal of value, though his trouble with lengthy defenders can take some of it away. He’s much better when he can run off of screens to get the space he needs, and his ability to draw defenders does open things up a bit for him to create off the dribble. Just 19 a few months ago, Murray has time to work on his body and physical abilities, and the shooting/scoring ability can carry him until/if it happens.

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