Offense sells tickets but Jamal Murray's leap is transpiring on defense too

“If I have to coach effort, we’re in trouble” could be a tagline front and center in Denver Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone’s bio because of the sheer amount of times he’s uttered those nine words during his three-year tenure in the Mile High City. And Thursday on the second floor of Pepsi Center as Denver was wrapping up a mid-week practice, he recited the familiar expression again, this time when referencing his 20-year-point guard Jamal Murray.

But the Kentucky product isn’t someone Malone has to worry about when it comes to effort, he says, as Denver’s coach is reminded of Murray vaulting over courtside seats and drenching himself in beer and popcorn just to save a 50-50 loose ball midway through the first quarter Wednesday night against the Raptors.

That play was evidence of just how Murray plays, his love for the game, and how the effort he puts forward night in and night out has him on track to be a difference maker for Denver this season.

Murray’s sophomore leap on offense could be taking place during the Nuggets’ ongoing six-game homestand that opened with Denver’s 129-111 win over Toronto. He’s scored 20-points in three-straight games and after starting the season in a 2-21 shooting slump from beyond the arc, Murray is 7-17 from three over his past three games. He’s as confident with the ball in his hands as ever, and Paul Millsap‘s three-point shot against Toronto opened up lanes for Murray to get to the rim where he shot a perfect 5-5.

Murray’s offense will earn him the majority of the notoriety he gets throughout his NBA career. The 6-foot-4 point guard is a playmaker, a bucket getter and among the league’s most exciting players in the open floor with the ball in his hands. After the shooting slump to start the year, which also occurred at the onset of his rookie season where Murray opened his career 0-17 from deep, no mechanical tweaks were needed on his jumper, and why would there be? Murray’s been an elite shooter going back to his days at Orangeville Prep in Kitchener, Ontario. He just needed to see the ball go through the net a few times.

“There are games where I’ll start off slow and I’ll come out for the second-half and I won’t miss a shot,” Murray said. “I’m not worried about missing.”

But while offense sells tickets, Murray’s defense and effort on the other end of the floor is where he’s surprised as Denver creeps towards the quarter pole of the 2017-18 season.

There’s still a bit of noise this early in the season when looking at team’s on/off numbers but it’s telling that the Nuggets are allowing just 98.7 points per 100 possessions with Murray on the floor and surrendering 114.1 with him on the bench. That’s a difference of 15.4 points which makes Murray statistically among the biggest difference-makers on Denver’s defense. The stark downgrade in defense that takes place when the Nuggets’ bench takes the place of their starting unit contributes to that number too but the eye test helps Murray’s case.

Murray has the best Defensive Rating on Denver’s roster and has already held countless All-Star point guards in check throughout the Nuggets’ first eight games this season. His latest victim was Kyle Lowry who could only manage nine points on a paltry 4-10 shooting Wednesday night. Heading into the matchup some Nuggets’ assistant coaches wanted Gary Harris to check the three-time All-Star which would have slid Murray over to Normal Powell.

“I don’t want to hide him,” Malone said. “He’s got to learn how to guard these guys.”

Murray’s all-out effort, his tenacity on defense and his willingness to fight over and through screens on the perimeter gives Malone the confidence to leave him out there even if he’s struggling. Before Lowry, it was D’Angelo Russell who Muray limited to 3-12 from the field. Before Russell, it was another All-Star in John Wall who Murray held to 3-13 shooting.

On the season, starting point guards are shooting just 28-79 (35.4 percent) against the Nuggets. Murray’s effort on defense is a big reason why.

“You have to have game plan discipline and this and that but you have to want to play defense. There has to be a commitment, there has to be a mindset of ‘I’m not letting my man score and that comes with effort that comes with commitment,” Malone said. “Guys that are not good defenders don’t give much effort and don’t care about it. They’re more worried about playing one end of the floor.”

Against the Kings in Denver’s home opener, Murray frequently picked up George Hill fullcourt with the idea being that if he and the Nuggets could limit how quickly the Kings brought the ball up the floor, the more time it would take for them to get into their offense.

“Give Jamal credit but it’s something that we talk about in terms of we don’t want teams to be able to walk it up every possession and get east entry passe,” Malone said after the Kings tallied just 79 points.

Murray’s now able to get into guys and turn them side to side this year more than he was during his rookie season because he’s finally healthy. He thinks that’s the biggest difference in his defensive effectiveness this year and why he’s been better on that end of the floor. Murray is quicker laterally, can stay with those jitterbug point guards that some defenders have issues with and can be a better instinctual team defender.

While Murray’s potential on offense is evident, his two-way ability is what could really make him a cornerstone in Denver. Malone and his staff made the second-year player their starting point guard in pivotal boom or bust season and are going to rely on him heavily this year on both offense and defense and maybe more importantly, will match him up with the Western Conference’s gauntlet of All-Star guards and let him learn from his mistakes.

It’s risky, especially with expectations as high as they’ve been in Denver over the last three season, but as Malone put it, he’s willing to let Murray “get his ass whooped” if it means the Nuggets’ point guard of the future will be better because of it.