ESPN released a projection poll of this season’s NBA Rookie of the Year race, and Denver Nuggets first-round draft pick Jamal Murray came in seventh with six total points.
As expected, Ben Simmons finished in first place (207 points), followed by Kris Dunn (89 points) and Brandon Ingram (71 points) to round out the top three. Behind them, Buddy Hield (18), Joel Embiid (9) and Jaylen Brown (8) also beat out Murray.
Despite being left off both the first- and second-team Summer League rosters, Murray averaged 19.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in five Summer League games in Las Vegas and was one of three Nuggets to start all five games.
For Murray, he’ll have every opportunity to skyrocket up this list, as long as he gets the minutes. That’s the main difference between him and the six players above him: He was drafted into a situation where he’s a luxury, not a necessity, and could very well get buried in the rotation early.
If Murray can get on the floor, though, there may not be a better pure scorer in this year’s rookie class.
Just remember, Nikola Jokic finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season and even the most die-hard NBA fans had no clue who he was at this time last year. Anything can happen.
