San Antonio Spurs: 3 season goals for Dejounte Murray

3. Distribute the ball more

Murray has been able to increase his assist numbers every season since he entered the league. He averaged 1.3 assists per game as a rookie. As he was only averaging 8.5 minutes of playing time, that is understandable.

In his next season, Murray averaged a heap more playing time at 21.5 minutes per game. As a result, his assist numbers increased to 2.9 assists per game. While this number does not correlate well to his increased minutes, Murray was running an NBA team for the first time.

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He also started 48 games for the season which meant he was playing against better defenders every time he hit the court. However, this was not a problem for Murray this season. He averaged 4.1 assists in 25.6 minutes per game.

Next season Murray needs to get this number closer to six assists per game. When the ball is moving, it is harder to defend. Murray is able to drive hard to the rim. In order to make his own life easier, he needs to be able to dish it off, creating doubt in the defender’s mind.

Murray needs to be creative to take the pressure off DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge this coming season. Now that Bryn Forbes and his floor spacing ability have left, making the right play at the right time is going to be even more critical.