Denver Nuggets: 3 goals for Jamal Murray in 2018-19

3. Improve as a passer

This isn’t as important of a goal for Murray as it is for other young point/lead guards in the league as a result of the structure of Denver’s offense and the presence of Nikola Jokic. After all, Jokic is coming off a season in which he averaged over six assists per game and is well on his way to becoming the best passing big man in league history.

Murray’s assist total will almost always be lower than traditional point guards because of Jokic’s ability to initiate the offense from all areas of the floor. Murray is a score-first guard to begin with, which allows Jokic to take control of the majority of playmaking and creation opportunities as Murray works to get open on the perimeter or cut to the rim.

Regardless, Murray improving his court vision will be a key way to stagger the two players and maintain a high level offense for all 48 minutes of a game (especially with the addition of Isaiah Thomas to the fold).

As of now, Murray is a more than capable ball-handler, able to navigate in the half court or in transition in order to break down a defense and find a quality shot. While Murray has displayed some solid passing chops throughout his short NBA career, he can often get tunnel-vision and settle for a contested jumper over moving the ball around in order to find the open teammate.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Murray ranked in the 32nd percentile in assist percentage (15.9 percent) and in just the 19th percentile in assist to usage ratio (0.70). Those are troubling numbers for Murray, even if the offense is built on ball movement and Jokic’s playmaking.

If Murray becomes a better passer, he will not only open up more opportunities for his teammates, but defenses will focus more on his playmaking abilities, thus giving way to better looks for himself. The Nuggets’ offense has had a dangerous reliance on Jokic in recent seasons, but if Murray can improve his playmaking abilities, he can be another anchor for this elite unit.