I’ll be honest here, I’m not even totally sure where Dejounte Murray will end up playing in the NBA. He spent the majority of his time at Washington manning the point, and after sifting through his tape, I lean toward him sticking at the one for the foreseeable future.
Given his skill set, however, a move to the two is definitely in play. Ultimately, it will probably come down to team fit and Murray’s development as an on-court leader.
Of the entire class, Murray has arguably more untapped potential than any other perspective point guard draftee. Coming in to Washington as a relatively unheralded prospect (ranked 43rd), no one expected Murray to be flung into a prominent role as a freshman. Murray vastly exceeded expectations in Washington’s pro-style offense, and, combined with his lanky 6-foot-5 frame, immediately got scouts’ attention.
Murray isn’t the incredible athlete that Dunn is, but is still a capable offensive threat in his own right. While quick off the dribble, I would describe his style as more fluid than I would explosive. He’s extremely good at moving around contact (as opposed to driving through it a la Westbrook) and has an impressive floater game.
As the year went on, Murray also demonstrated some impressive handles, easily mixing quick, probing dribbles with slow crossovers that not many 19-year-olds can string together like he can. If Murray can become a more consistent jump shooter, he will arguably be the most complete offensive guard in this class.
That being said, Murray still has a long way to go in other areas of his game. He hasn’t developed that hardwired instinct in terms of setting up his teammates’ shots. He often looks for his own shot first, and while he is a competent passer, didn’t look for other shooters as often as one would like. While he has the frame to be a potential lock-down defender, he frequently has lapses in both concentration and effort.
Right now, Murray reminds me of a Devin Harris/Shaun Livingston hybrid which is good enough to merit mid-first round consideration. That being said, I think this kid has the tools to possibly end up as the best all-around guard in the entire draft if given enough time to round out his game.
Next: No. 1