Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray signed a maximum 5-year, $170 extension in the offseason, a clear demonstration of the squad’s confidence in him.
Sure, the Denver Nuggets‘ No. 2-seed finish was much a result of Nikola Jokic‘s stellar campaign. Yet, if there was a sidekick award for last year’s success, Jamal Murray would emerge the winner.
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Murray leveled out in 2018-19, averaging 18.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. His inconsistency of the past faded, as he missed double-figure scoring just eight times last year, opposed to 63 occasions in the prior two seasons.
He was stellar in the playoffs, averaging 23.6 points per game in the Western Conference semifinals. At times he looked better than Portland Trail Blazers stars Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
When the Nuggets were down Gary Harris, Paul Millsap and Will Barton in early December, the pity train pulled up to the Mile High City, ready to console the grieving bunch on their journey down the ranks of the Western Conference. As it turns out, that train never left the station.
Playing nine games with essentially Jokic, Murray, and the reserves, Denver posted a 6-3 record. Murray proved himself an excellent stabilizer, notching 20.4 points, 5.2 boards and 4.8 dimes per game during this stretch.
Big things are expected for Murray’s 2019-20, especially considering his recent contract extension. Check out these projections, as we break down Murray’s upcoming season:
Stats Projections:
2019-20 Projections: 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks per game, 44.2 field-goal percentage, 37.5 3-point percentage, 89.1 free-throw percentage
2018-19 Stats: 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks per game, 43.7 field-goal percentage, 36.7 3-point percentage, 84.8 free-throw percentage