Denver Nuggets: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

1. Jamal Murray

Despite Harris being a more developed two-way player, Jamal Murray possesses more explosive potential on the offensive end, making it easier to see how he can break out and become a well-known, leading guard in the Western Conference.

After struggling with his shot in his rookie season (hitting just 33.4 percent of his 3-pointers) and posting modest averages of 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, Murray took a large step in the 2016-17 season, averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, hitting 37.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Like Harris, Murray has shown the ability to score in a variety of ways from all areas of the court. Not only did he hit nearly 38 percent of his 3-pointers, but he also made 62.1 percent of his shots from within 3 feet of the rim and 48 percent of his mid-range jumpers (between 10-16 feet of the rim).

As a result of his ability to score from all areas of the court and Denver’s high-flying, unusual offense, defenders will continue to struggle guarding Murray, especially if his shooting continues to improve.

Murray displayed his versatile scoring ability numerous times last season, highlighted by a breakout performance against the Portland Trail Blazers:

The numbers tell the story on Murray’s offensive impact. Last season the Nuggets’ offense was an eye-opening 10.8 points per 100 possessions better when Murray was on the floor. With more consistency and development, Murray should be a tremendous positive on offense for the majority of his career.

The main area that holds Murray back at the moment is his poor defense. Last season, he posted a -2.33 defensive real plus-minus and saw the team’s defense decline by 1.6 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. As mentioned earlier, there are several poor defenders in Denver’s rotation, but with Murray at a key point of attack, he will continue to hold the team’s defense back without strong improvement on that end of the floor.

Additionally, it remains to be seen how Isaiah Thomas’ presence will impact Murray and his playing time. It may be that Murray is even more motivated to improve on both ends of the floor in order to maintain and/or increase his playing time, which would obviously be the ideal scenario for Denver.

Regardless, Murray is one of the few young guards in the league that have true takeover potential on offense, which will always make him a dynamic and important contributor for the Nuggets. As he continues to gain more experience in the league (he is heading into his third season), Murray should only improve as a shooter and situational offensive player, improving his passing ability and awareness to make the right play.

If such developments occur along with development from Harris, Lyles and the rest of the Nuggets’ young core, they will certainly be a perennial playoff team and contender.