Denver Nuggets: Signs of a maturing Jamal Murray

Despite some amounts of adversity, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is on the rise. Here’s a look at Murray’s 2018-19 season thus far.

Who is this Jamal Murray guy for the Denver Nuggets? Is he the 48-point superstar fans saw against the Boston Celtics? Or is he a turnover-prone, out-of-position point guard?

Regardless of the occasional blunders, much evidence points to a wiser, more mature Murray in 2018-19. He is progressing at a nice rate, averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, all career-highs.

One encouraging facet is Murray’s improved consistency. Last year, he was tagged as an up-and-down type of player.

Although this season’s scoring isn’t perfectly level, the path is much smoother to date. Through 24 games, Murray has notched double figures 22 times. He is on pace to easily surpass last season’s 63 double-digit efforts.

In addition to better consistency, Murray has impacted games in ways besides scoring.

In his past nine contests, Murray posted at least 18 points five times. In the other four, he registered at least six assists or better. Last year, Murray’s impact was limited to scoring. Now he is finding ways to join the attack when his shot isn’t popping.

Murray’s knack for lifting Denver in crucial moments is more notable this year too. His 48 points represented nearly the entire offensive scheme in November’s 115-107 win over Boston. Despite struggling teammates, Murray single-handedly carried Denver to the dub.

Murray also played a lion’s share of a role Wednesday in Orlando. Down Gary Harris, Murray scored 31 points while playing a whopping 46 minutes.

Here’s what he had to say after the game, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post:

"“I really wasn’t tired,” Murray said after scoring a game-high 31 on 10 of 25 shooting from the field. “I told coach on the plane coming from Toronto. I’m durable, I’m good.”"

Murray’s warrior-like attitude is the prescribed mindset for wins in times of injury. This will serve the Nuggets well as they look to make a postseason splash.

There is one final factor, and it’s a big one. On this quiet Nuggets team featuring many mellow personalities, one emotional leader has stepped up. This would, of course, be Jamal Murray.

D.J. Foster of The Ringer wrote a recent article on Murray and the Nuggets. Here is what he had to say about Murray’s competitive fire:

"“There’s an old-school feel to Murray’s antagonizing ways, and his mentality is mirrored by his game. In a league chock full of shooters with limitless range and explosive finishers playing Moreyball, Murray is a calculated, below-the-rim player with a knack for flowing right into midrange jumpers, aided more by footwork and sleights of hand than anything else.“He’s like a reincarnation of Sam Cassell—searching for enough space to get his shot off so he can run down the court and talk about [expletive] for the rest of the quarter.”"

Mile High fans surely noticed that recent Nuggets teams contained no version of Draymond Green or Patrick Beverley. Denver’s relaxed personality was largely ignored…until consecutive one-game playoff misses occurred in 2017 and 2018.

For years, the obvious missing part was an alpha dog with a never-say-die mentality. Now in 2018-19, Murray is becoming that guy for Denver. He has no problem antagonizing Kyrie Irving or waving goodbye to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Why?

Because the Nuggets aren’t in this for another friendly ninth-place finish. This movie has already aired twice. Murray stepped up in mature fashion to fill Denver’s glaring hole. No one knocks off his team without a fight.

Nikola Jokic is still the squad’s best player, while Paul Millsap leads the defensive revival. However, it’s the matured, competitive Murray who ensures Denver won’t collapse in crunch time.