Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
One can argue Jamal Murray has already broken out into a great player, but there’s still room for vast improvement. The Denver Nuggets are loaded with all sorts of talent being one of the deepest teams in the league.
Murray has the potential next season to really assert himself as co-floor general with All-Star center Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets play through Jokic but that doesn’t mean Murray can’t be the facilitator. Denver believes in Murray’s capabilities which is why they signed him to a five-year $170 million contract. The only obstacle in the young guard’s way of improving is the question of who is the second option after Jokic.
The Nuggets have so many pieces to their offense that it becomes easy for players to get lost in the system. Murray’s been able to stay afloat but if he is to have a stellar season and truly get noticed as one of the leagues best point guards he has to let the league and his team know that the offense works through him as well.
Murray isn’t quite yet worth the extension he was gifted by Denver, and it is unclear right now whether his performance so far is a product of him or just inflated by how well Jokic makes his teammates look on the court. Last season he averaged 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game shooting 43 percent from the field.
One can argue he’s already reached his peak considering many NBA players don’t get better than that in terms of stats. There’s a lot of questions regarding Jamal Murray and they will all be answered this coming season. It’s his time to see if he’s really an NBA star or just another overpaid role player who gains recognition solely from his team.