As Jamal Murray enters his third season in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets expect him to continue developing in these three key areas of his game.
Expectations are high for the Denver Nuggets this season. After narrowly missing out on the playoffs in the 2017-18 campaign, Denver is penciled in as a comfortable playoff team by most fans and analysts, a result of their offseason additions and expected development from their young core.
That development starts with Jamal Murray, who is entering his third season in the league. While Nikola Jokic still has room to grow, he is already playing at an All-Star level. The focus should shift to Murray in the upcoming season as he looks to be a key cog in the team’s elite offense.
If his previous seasons in the league are any indication, Murray is poised for a breakout campaign. After struggling with his shot during his rookie season (leading to modest averages of 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game), the former University of Kentucky guard re-discovered his shooting touch and developed his control of the game.
This led to impressive averages of 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, as Murray knocked down nearly 38 percent of his 3-pointers. Translate those numbers to per-36 minutes and you essentially have a player averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game while providing elite floor spacing and capable playmaking.
Murray possesses the rare ability to simply take over games with his scoring prowess, whether it is from beyond the arc, in the mid-range, or through the use of his craftiness to get to the rim (where he was a strong 62.1 percent finisher last season).
Heading into his third season, there are plenty of expectations that Murray will once again breakout and blossom into a near-elite guard in the Western Conference. Alongside the developing Gary Harris and Jokic, that would make for one deadly trio for years to come.
With that being said, what are some specific goals that Murray should target in the upcoming season as he hopes to be a key component on a Nuggets’ playoff team? Let’s take a closer look.