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Growing in all respects, becoming a suitable ace for Max Contract
A year ago, when the Nuggets signed a Max contract with Jamal Murray, there was only criticism. He lacks the indescribable physical prowess and playmaking power of Ben Simmons, who was nominated in the same year, the overwhelming height and potential of Brandon Ingram, and the fierce defensive power of Jalen Brown. It was said that entrusting the future of the team to Murray who didn’t have it seemed like a game of chance.
Although he has a high shooting capacity and scoring power, the average score does not reach 20 points, and assists with less than 5 lack playing power as a base, and it is a sufficient plus to complement the defensive power aimed as a weak point. It’s hard to tell what it brings. It was a Max contract because I evaluated “more than statistics” for Murray, who was evaluated that way.
A year ago, Murray’s courage, known only to core Nuggets fans until just before the start of the playoffs, was unveiled around the world in the last-minute battle of the playoffs.
Murray not only recorded more than 40 points many times in the lose-and-finish game, but he also showed incredible “playing strength” with a 59% overall success rate on 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. He is now recognized as the best clutch player. Murray’s evaluation jumped out as the most important “something” was the mindset that could decide the game, not the number of points remaining in the statistics.
However, he was shown to play a strong game in the playoffs last season. The difference this season is that it led to the team’s victory. Nikola Yokitchi-centric Nuggets offenses are characterized by passing work and off-the-ball movements, and if you push hard on the play decided by individual ability, the balance will be bad.
Murray, who was often a double team, not only made passes and increased assists without sticking to individual skills, but also played as a corner shooter at times. Growing up to be able to incorporate that individual skill into “one of the team tactics,” the strength of the game has increased.
In addition, the Nuggets went to control the game by slowing down extremely when they were in the lead, but slowing down also carries the risk of losing the rhythm of the offense. In fact, the Nuggets also increased hard shots after the shot clock disappeared, but Murray left a hit rate of more than 40% even on a 3-point shot after the shot clock was less than 7. seconds, and set a team slowdown. I did.
The strength of the game, which was demonstrated by scoring points as part of the team’s offense and controlling the pace of the game, was more impressive than the statistics. Murray’s scoring ability, which is determined with high probability regardless of difficult shots, was also the threat from the Nuggets, who persistently took the victory.
On the other hand, the base of the Nuggets is defensive power. Especially in last season’s playoffs, Murray was completely singled out as a weak point, which was the reason the Nuggets couldn’t win. However, this defense has improved dramatically in one year. Nuggets, who have excellent defenders, not only has a wide range that individuals must stop with a man mark, but also embraces a difficult defense system that requires judgment because he repeats changes, help and rotation without the ball. I will.
Not only was the man mark weak, but Murray wasn’t careful enough to take a free kick with Rotemis, but this playoff has improved unbelievably. Also, instead of often defending the easier opponent, I actively participated in the rebounds of the defense, understood what I had to do in the team and continued to do so. What’s more, he played for more than 40 minutes as the center of the offense in every game, but did not cut shortcuts on defense.
“Something” that Murray showed was not only the strength of the game, but also the “power of growth” that allowed him to control the game, express team tactics and contribute to defense. At 23, in his fourth year of career, he has become a high-level player fit for Max’s contract. These characteristics are common to Yokitchi, and the Nuggets believed in players who could grow up with a strong mindset, rather than simply entrusting the future to good players.
However, Murray and Yokitchi, who have always led the battle to victory, were not only tired, but also sustained injuries from the harsh marks and were completely injured. In the conference final, I couldn’t resist the dominance of Lebron James with the decisive time, which used to be a competitive force. The Lakers defense was undoubtedly great, but the effects of fatigue and injuries were apparent only to the two who had decided against Kawai Leonard and Rudy Gobea.
The 1 win, 3 loss reversal mentality against Jazz and Clippers is great, but if you had the strength to decide the game easily, the series with the Lakers would have been even more exciting. It’s difficult to get to the championship unless you can win without showing the strength of the game. It was a tiebreaker that made me realize that.
After the game, Murray said: “The media didn’t appreciate us. It seemed like we couldn’t win, which helped us. We were surprised to see that we were able to fight the Lakers championship candidates. I was able to do it.” Next season’s Nuggets will have to fight the playoffs with the strength they deserve to be one of the winning candidates, not as a “strong” team to win the last minute game. Murray has yet to grow.
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