Jamal Murray over Buddy Hield "wasn't close," according to Nuggets coach Michael Malone

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After the Denver Nuggets survived the endless onslaught of Anthony Davis and his 50 points Wednesday night in their season opener, they left Smoothie King Arena with their first win of the season, a 107-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

After the game, coach Michael Malone was asked about the difference between Jamal Murray, who the Nuggets drafted seventh overall this summer and Buddy Hield, who was taken by New Orleans sixth, one spot ahead of Murray.

Via ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier:

“It wasn’t close, to be honest. Jamal Murray’s our guy. And I say that with no disrespect to Buddy Hield because he’s a hell of a player. Now, if Jamal Murray wasn’t there and Buddy Hield was, year, he was definitely in the conversation. But Jamal Murray was identified by our front office early as a guy they have very, very, high on their board. Again, please don’t take that as any disrespect to Buddy Hield, because it’s not meant to be that. It just speaks to how highly they regarded Jamal Murray. And obviously, Buddy Hield is going to be a helluva player. I think the one thing that stood out id obviously one player in 19-years-old and one player is 23, 24-years-old. And obviously I think that is a big part of it as well.”

Denver made it a goal of theirs this summer to improve their 3-point shooting and were likely going to end up selecting either Murray or Hield, whichever one was available at seven. The Nuggets, as a front office and coaching staff, have also said multiple times already this year that Murray was rated as the third prospect on their big board behind Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, and so far they seem happy with their selection. Murray’s shot and playmaking potential gives him the ability to become an elite NBA guard and he’s already shown that he can operate out of the pick-and-roll better this preseason than some thought he could entering the league.

Murray may very well be one of the most important pieces of the Nuggets’ rotation if they hope to become a contender in the near future. While Hield may be “a helluva player,” it seems the Nuggets made the smarter decision by rating the younger and more talented Murray over Hield. Denver drafted their darling of the 2016 draft and it seems that the franchise as a whole could not be more excited.