It's just preseason but Jamal Murray already proving he belongs in Nuggets' rotation

[Elite_video_player id=”30″]

Picking seventh overall in this summer’s draft the Denver Nugget were able to grab the guy they had at No. 3 on their board. Denver drafted Jamal Murray as a combo guard who can play both the one and the two, someone who can begin to place a band-aid over their team 3-point percentage which at 33.8 percent was 26th in the league last season and another creator off their bench who can take some pressure off Will Barton.

The doubters across the league made their concerns about Murray known, and rightfully so.

Murray wasn’t an elite NBA athlete. How will he get clean looks in ISO situations in a league where defenders become more and more specialized and smarter year in year out? Murray doesn’t have the awareness on defense to be a league-average NBA defender. How will he stay on the floor in a league where teams are forcing those who can’t defend off it?

Preseason isn’t the end all be all when evaluating NBA rookies. Many times they’re up against team’s second and third units made up of lineups where only two or three players will make their respective NBA team.

What Murray has shown this preseason may not silence his pundits, but it should at least limit them for month or two.

“We’re going to have him play on the ball and off the ball” – Michael Malone during training camp

“We’re going to have him play on the ball and off the ball, he’s got to learn all the spots on the floor,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Murray. “That’s what a good point guard should do anyway. We’ve often talked about the allure of Jamal is that he is a versatile player. He’s going to be fine. He’s a smart kid. He cares. And we have plenty of coaches to help him if he has any questions in terms of the offense.”

It’s been clear since Denver drafted Murray that they view him as a combo guard and someone who can play both on and off the ball. In high school Murray played the one, while at Kentucky with Tyler Ulis, Murray played mostly shooting guard.

Throughout the preseason the 19-year-old has shown the point guard skills that helped make him a top-10 recruit in the 2015 class. In 26 minutes per game, he’s averaging just under four assists and roughly two turnovers, the latter of which seems high but understandable considering Murray’s spent a lot of time on the floor with Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley, Robbie Hummel and Jarnell Stokes.

When Murray comes off a ball screen, he’s looked for his shot first(more on that later), but keeps his head up and finds Faried on the lob once the defense commits to him.

Here, Murray takes advantage of a poor pick-and-roll defender in Yi Jianlian who never really commits to either Murray or the roll man Stokes. Murray waits for the opening and places an on target bounce pass to the rolling big man, who finishes.

“People when they saw him at Kentucky, he was just off the ball, we think he’s a combo with the ball,” Malone said of Murray. “But be more than just a scorer, be a playmaker.”

“He’s confident, he’s not afraid of the moment” – Michael Malone after Denver’s preseason loss to Golden State

Murray’s confidence and poise with the ball in his hands is what’s really jumped off the screen throughout Denver’s preseason. His calmness when operating in tight spaces and his command of the pick-and-roll is impressive for a 19-year-old.

Here Murray gets into the teeth of the defense and converts on a floater over the outstretched hands of Ed Davis.

It’s just a few preseason games but it looks like Murray’s floater is going to be a key weapon in his offensive arsenal throughout his career. Because he doesn’t possess that above the rim athleticism, his in-between game is going to be key to his offensive efficiency.

“He’s confident, he’s not afraid of the moment,” Malone said of Murray. “I think his biggest challenge right now, he does too much at times. He over dribbles at times and he knows that. We have to get him to be a little more efficient with his game. He steps up and he makes big shots and he makes big plays. I think that speaks to his upbringing, his confidence, and the fact that he’s ready for the moment.”

Check how tight Murray comes off this Kenneth Faried ball screen, keeps his defender on his back, and waits for Mason Plumlee to hesitate before rising up for the jumper.

In similar fashion, Murray finds the soft spot and gets off a clean look. If the defense is going to zone the pick-and-roll and allow Murray that mod-range jumper he’ll take it every time.

Last one. Murray rejects the Stokes screen and nails the floater. You don’t often see 19-year-old rookies come into the league with that sort of awareness.

“Our draft board was fairly simple, we weren’t taking positions so much, but can you shoot and can you defend. “If you can do both that’s fantastic.” – Tim Connelly on draft night

Murray was No. 3 on the Nuggets draft board, but it helped that he was in the discussion with Buddy Hield for who had the best jumper in the draft. Based on what he’s done this preseason, it looks like that shot will translate.

Overall, Murray is 9-20 from three and his jumper has been every bit as advertised. Check out how quickly Murray is able to square his body to the basket after coming off this abbreviated hammer screen from Jokic.

Murray’s form always looks the same and he gets great elevation on his jumper. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to shoot around 35 percent from three during his rookies season.

The biggest knock on Mudiay during the draft process was that he was a passive defender. Off the ball he fell asleep and was often caught ball watching, while on the ball he didn’t have the quickness to stay in front of defenders. Some of those issues are still there, particularly his awareness in helps side, but Murray has had some moments defensively that make you think he won’t be a detriment on that end of the floor.

Here he makes a clean switch, fights over a Plumlee screen and block C.J. McCollum‘s shot at the rim.

Murray still has areas where he needs to improve. On the defensive end and staying disciplined off the ball is likely at the top of that list. At times, Murray also over dribbles and gets himself into more trouble than he needs to. But those areas are fixable.

The rookie has already shown that he belongs in the NBA, in the Nuggets rotation, and should be a staple in Denver’s backcourt for the time being.