Jamal Murray came to Denver less than a month ago talking a big game. The No. 7 overall draft pick was vocal about the fact that he’s not just a shooting guard. As such, Murray was under a heavy microscope during the opening two games of the 2016 NBA Summer League.
“Jamal Murray is the guy that I think most Nuggets [followers] had their eye on, and he struggled through two games so far,” said Adam Mares from Denver Stiffs. “The highest draft pick for the Nuggets is the one that struggled the most.”
Mares joined Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7.
Murray has only scored 20 points in two games. He shot 2-11 in his second game against the Grizzles where he also committed five turnovers. Surprisingly, one of the top 3-point shooters in the NCAA last year has only made one in seven attempts at the next level. Murray will see time at both shooting guard and point guard this summer to see which position suits him best when the games start to count.
“The one thing that is concerning about him is that he had a hard time getting open. It wasn’t just about the bad shots or not making shots, but he just struggled to even get open off ball,” Mares said. “I think the Nuggets are going to tailor the offense to him in the third game to try and get him going and get a better look at him.”
The Nuggets play the Miami Heat on Monday night for their last Summer League tune-up game. The knockout tournament begins Wednesday. With Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris sitting out the rest of Summer League play, Murray should have plenty of chances to show he can be the player he expects to be.
Listen the full conversation with Mares, including a look at the rest of the Nuggets’ Summer League roster, in the podcast below…
Catch Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh every Saturday and Sunday from 2-4p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7. Stream live any time for the best coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
