Hoops Habit
Fansided

San Antonio Spurs: 3 potential breakout candidates for 2019-20

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 25: Lonnie Walker IV #1 of the San Antonio Spurs warms up before Game Six of Round One against the Denver Nuggets during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 25: Lonnie Walker IV #1 of the San Antonio Spurs warms up before Game Six of Round One against the Denver Nuggets during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Dejounte Murray
(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Dejounte Murray

What would a breakout season for Dejounte Murray entail?

  • Returning to an All-Defensive Team
  • >33 percent from 3-point range (with 2+ attempts)
  • Continued improvements to court vision (4+ assists per game)

If the Spurs have any chance to return to that first tier of contenders in the Western Conference, much of their success is going to be contingent on a “second breakout” from their versatile point guard.

2017-18 provided bits and pieces of what Murray at full potential could include. In just his first season as a consistent rotational player, Murray’s Defensive Player Impact Plus-Minus ranked No. 1 among point guards, and third among all players to play at least 1,000 minutes.

Murray rode that wave to an All-NBA Defensive Second Team appearance, and conversely, the Spurs had the No. 1 defense in terms of opposing points allowed.

For those unconvinced of Murray’s impact: In just 56 career starts, Murray had already earned the label as the team’s defensive anchor and floor general from his veteran teammates. Unsurprisingly, the 2018-19 Spurs dropped outside of the top-10 altogether without their defensive catalyst.

For the 6’5” guard, a return trip to the league’s annual All-Defensive polls would be likely the most vital and attainable goal for a breakout step. But, Spurs fans know all too well what a true breakout entails.

Gregg Popovich should have plenty of options when seeing which guard lineup works best when plugged together. If they want to get the absolute most out of their versatility, an improved 3-point shot goes a long way towards doing so.

These are all aspects of Murray’s game that we expected to see last season before he tore his right ACL. Murray, though, has used that injury to further fine-tune his shooting touch, providing us with numerous glimpses of that on social media.

https://twitter.com/DejounteMurray/status/1134258862800986112?s=09

Murray saw his 3-point percentages spring from 29.7 percent to 35.7 percent on almost double the attempts by the end of his last healthy season once he wrestled back the starting point guard spot.

With that, nearly every ounce of potential and hope we have in Murray is based on what either what we’ve heard from coaches in offseason workouts, and that compelling 35-game sample size at the tail end of the 2017-18 season.

Over that run, Murray averaged 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 46.7 percent shooting in 26.5 minutes of action. Few things are out of reach for Murray and his 6’10” wingspan – and seeing him remain at three to four assists per game likely isn’t, either.

All of this points to the potential of something great. Also worth noting is that the 2019-20 version of the Spurs that Murray will come in with is much more talented and compatible than the team we last saw Murray with.

The 2017-18 Spurs were forced to rely heavily on a 38-year-old Manu Ginobili and a 40-year-old Pau Gasol. By the time the postseason came around, Patty Mills ranked second on the team in minutes played per game.

Replace that with the likes of DeRozan, Derrick White, and an improved Rudy Gay, and it speaks volumes to the level of optimism Spurs fans should have about Murray’s potential breakout in 2019-20.

Home/San Antonio Spurs