Jamal Murray's heel turn is exactly what the Nuggets need
Jamal Murray became of age to drink legally in the U.S. less than a month ago and played in his first NBA game fewer than two years ago. Despite his age and relative lack of experience playing basketball at its highest level, Murray was booed for an entire game in one of the most iconic arenas by one of the prettiest fan bases while playing against one of the league's preeminent franchises. Murray, the second-year guard out of Kentucky by way of Canada, is somehow the Los Angeles Lakers' public enemy No. 1.
“I’m used to trash talking; I used to watch Kobe in this very arena play — and with Luke Walton,” Murray said after the Nuggets' crucial loss to the Lakers on March 13. “I see where Luke got it from. I love playing with that competitiveness. It’s a fun game. I’m sure the fans enjoyed it, I’m sure the NBA enjoyed it. That’s how I like to play the game, it’s much more fun.”
Murray leading the Nuggets into unnecessary, but entertaining, end-of-game sorties against the Lakers is just a minor blip in what has truly been a season full of growth, buckets and that fun that he referenced.
Coming off a season in which the Nuggets finished just a game behind the Trail Blazers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference, many believed that the growth of Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris’ rising star could lift Denver into the postseason in 2018. One question nagged the team all summer, though: Who would become the team’s starting point guard?
Murray played the entirety of last season backing up Harris and proved to be a reliable shooter from beyond the arc, but in training camp and the preseason, Murray snatched the starting lead guard role away from Emmanuel Mudiay (since traded to New York) and has not relinquished it. In the increased role, Murray is shooting better from literally every spot on the floor. He’s raised his three-point shooting by five percentage points and is finding more ways to get open off the ball for spot-up opportunities.
Murray is getting to the rim less, but he’s finishing better when he gets there and opening up those opportunities by shooting better in the midrange, too.
The most important thing Murray has brought to the Denver starting lineup is the kind of bravado that was ostensibly absent from the team last year. The Nuggets played basketball like a team that belonged in the postseason, but not enough of the team brought the kind of energy you see from players like Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard — those killers on the court who want you to know that they know they’re killing you.
This is, in essence, why he’s gotten under the skin of the Lakers and why the Nuggets have been much more fun to watch despite not changing much in terms of style or personnel from last season, Paul Millsap’s addition notwithstanding.
He’s exploded for a few 30-point games this year and has become the youngest Nugget to drop at least 35 in a contest since Carmelo Anthony. Denver has a history of phenomenal scorers — it’s ingrained in the culture of the franchise — and Murray is trying to add to what already exists in a way unique to the time. Just take a look at what he did against the Thunder this year: 33 points and a disgusting move to drop Steven Adams and drill a jumper.
With about 12 games remaining, the Nuggets find themselves in the thick of a Western Conference race where just a pair of wins or losses could spell the difference between the fourth seed and the 10th. More than any other player, Murray has to produce because of the point guard-heavy nature of the conference and because of the energy that comes with his success. In a deep, fundamental way, Murray makes the Denver Nuggets, and if he plays closer to his peak and maintains his antagonizing swagger, Murray can make the Nuggets a playoff team.
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