Jamal Murray is giving the Nuggets a glimpse of what could be

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DENVER — He’s only played 13 NBA games, but rookie Jamal Murray is already giving the Nuggets a look into their future.

His latest fourth-quarter masterpiece, a 16-point flurry in 12 minutes that included three 3-pointers in Denver’s 105-91 win over the Utah Jazz Sunday, has those within the Nuggets organization excited about the player Murray could develop into.

“All those experiences for Jamal, he just continues to grow up in front of our eyes,” Michael Malone said following Denver’s win Sunday. “When he gets confident and puts that ball up, I think it’s going in every time he shoots it.”

Murray was an efficient 6-8 from the field against Utah and hit 3-4 from three. He scored 16 of Denver’s 29 points in the fourth.

“They’re moments that I live for in my life,” Murray said of the fourth quarter. “That’s something (the statistics) I don’t even think about. You guys put the stats and everything, but I just play.”

The 19-year-old is averaging the sixth-most minutes among rookies at 20.2 per game, but that total is likely to drop once Will Barton ramps up after returning from an ankle injury Sunday night and Gary Harris eventually returns from a foot injury that currently has him sidelined.

Until then, Murray is capitalizing on his opportunity. The game is slowing down for him, maybe a little quicker than it did for second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who often says he finally started to settle in last season after missing 14 games with an ankle injury in December and January while obviously playing a larger role than the one Murray is tasked with thus far in his rookie year.

“Like any game, you just get more experience,” Murray said. “Know your spots and know where you’re going to get the ball.”

Watching Murray it’s clear that he’s about to break out. Maybe not Tuesday against Chicago, maybe not Wednesday in Utah, but sometime in the near future, Murray is going to have a 25 or 30-point game that puts him on the national radar. His shot is starting to fall from three, where he’s shooting 45.2 percent, a stunning rate for a rookie after starting the season in a 0-16 slump.

“I’m just feeling more comfortable,” Murray said. “I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about how bad I’m playing or how good I’m playing, I’m just trying to give good minutes and play hard.”

Murray is getting open looks within the realms of the Nuggets’ offense. He was 4-5 on uncontested field goals Sunday and repeatedly made the defense pay for leaving a shooter of his caliber by himself. The No. 7 pick in this year’s draft had arguably the best jumper coming out of college and as more and more shots find the bottom of the net his confidence is growing.

The impeccable form he showed off last year at Kentucky has already vaulted him into the conversation of Denver’s best pure shooter and the way he’s adapted and improved through just 13 games has confirmed what many around the Nuggets thought leading into this season: Murray may have the highest ceiling and most potential on Denver’s roster.

Murray is also finishing at the rim and through contact. He’s shooting 56.3 percent after Sunday from the restricted area, helped by this nifty reverse layup after running off Jusuf Nurkic on the block and his percentages from two-point range should only go up as he gets more acclimated to the speed and pace of the NBA game.

Murray’s time will come. He’s a 19-year-old combo guard that’s playing behind Mudiay, who has quietly dished out 25 assists to just 12 turnovers since the Nuggets abandoned the Nurkic and Nikola Jokic twin towers frontcourt and Gary Harris who’s injured but coming off a breakout sophomore season.

Yet, little by little, Murray is handing out small samples, giving the Nuggets a taste of what he can become. He’s chomping at the bit for more minutes, practically forcing Malone’s hand to give him more playing time, especially with Denver’s backcourt injuries.

Murray is the latest seed in the Nuggets’ orchard, one that’s looking more and more promising as the 2016-17 season continues to grow.