At one point in the Nuggets’ 129-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors, starting point guard Jamal Murray put up a 3-point shot; by the time the ball swished through the hoop, Murray’s back was turned and he was gearing up to blitz the high-powered Raptors offense defensively.
It’s the grit and killer instinct that makes Jamal Murray the most exciting prospect on the Nuggets’ roster.
Murray always plays with a chip on his shoulder, but in Wednesday’s victory over Toronto it was clear that “The Blue Arrow” was in attack mode and determined to push his team to victory.
Murray would finish with 24 points, his third consecutive game with 20-plus points, and was humming with confidence. Over the course of his past three games, Murray’s comfort level has been at a high point in his young career. As a result, he’s shown flashes of his potential greatness.
His quick release, handles and natural basketball instincts are all reasons Murray has the potential to be great. But what has changed in these three games as compared to the rest of the season?
Murray’s doing things his way.
“Just got to play basketball,” Murray said. “Shooting’s going to come … I’m just not thinking no more. In the beginning of the season, I was overthinking … just trying to be the point guard the team wants me to be. I just got to play my game and play basketball and stop overthinking. Just getting back to playing and doing what I do.”
Murray is shooting 60 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point land while averaging 23 points over his last three games. In that span, the Nuggets’ offense has climbed the leaderboards around the league, now ranking seventh in offensive rating and 10th in points per game.
The increase in play is a direct result of Murray’s rise in performance. He’s been a threat to score consistently, which has instilled a flow within the offense and has been masterful in the critical catch-and-shoot game.
Head Coach Michael Malone has been pleased with his team’s performance in recent time and credits his sophomore guard’s production as a source of success.
“He’s just being aggressive,” Malone said via Mile High Sports’ TJ McBride. “I love the pace he’s playing at. Even in the second half, he had a couple of those coast-to-coast drives; putting pressure on the defense. On defense, he’s taking on the challenge of guarding a guy like Kyle Lowry, and he’s not backing down. You can his confidence growing in the past four or five games. He is a different Jamal Murray then we saw early in the season.”
The new Jamal Murray has helped propel the Nuggets in recent time and will be a crux moving forward for the team. When Murray is playing well, the entire Nuggets offense functions at a higher level. Denver’s starting lineup with Murray at point guard is plus-5.1 on the season.
Murray seems to have found his footing in the young season, but the challenge of establishing consistency remains for the 20-year-old sharpshooter. He has the mentality of an All-Star and has the potential to evolve into a game-changer down the line, but for now, Murray needs to continue to play his way.
“It’s fun,” Murray said of the Nuggets’ play. “Unselfish basketball is a lot of fun. There’s teams that go 1-on-1 and score points, and there’s our team that moves the ball well, and everybody touches it, and everybody shares it, and we have a lot of fun. That’s the way we look to play.”
