Sixteen months ago, Jamal Murray stood on a basketball court in Thousand Oaks, California. To his left was Kawhi Leonard. To his right was Paul George. Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Academy was the setting, a two-day mini-camp that featured some of the NBA brightest stars.
Three months before Murray stepped inside Bryant’s Southern California basketball incubator, the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the Nuggets in a hard-fought seven-game series. A series in which Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and most-memorably Rodney Hood exploited one of Murray’s most significant flaws: his defense.
So Murray got stronger and added muscle. At the Mamba Academy, he asked Bryant, a five-time NBA Champion and nine-time First Team All-Defense selection, how to improve his post defense. Murray then arrived back in Denver last fall, determined to re-write the narrative on his defensive flaws. He did just that in the playoffs this past season, a stretch which Michael Malone continually refers to as the best defense of his franchise point guard’s career.
His defense has made such strides that the Nuggets’ default plan for Murray this season is to guard his position. In past matchups against Lillard and the Blazers or Steph Curry and the Warriors, the two opponents Denver saw this preseason, Gary Harris would have likely drawn the Lillard or Curry matchup. This season, it will be Murray’s.
“Gone are the days when I’m going to hide Jamal Murray,” Malone said. “If you want to be an All-Star, if you want to be an All-NBA player, you can’t be a liability where we’ve got to hide you on defense. And to Jamal’s credit, he doesn’t want to be hidden.”
Malone is looking at Murray’s defense as the next step in his evolution as a player as he enters his fourth season as the Nuggets’ full-time starting point guard and the first of a five-year, $158 million max contract. Murray was the playoffs’ top breakout star just three months ago, mainly because of his offense.
In the first round, Murray out-dueled Donovan Mitchell when he became the first player since Michael Jordan to score at least 40 points in three-straight playoff games. Murray had another 40-spot in Game 7 against the Clippers and averaged 25 points across five games against the Lakers in the West Finals.
But defensively is where Murray has said he wants to take the most significant leap this season. Murray wants to guard his position and attempt to wrangle the top offensive point guards in the league. Murray also wants to be an All-Star this year, a tall task in the loaded West. He believes a pathway there is to gain notoriety on the defensive end of the floor. Quite frankly, he may not have much choice.
Denver lost its top perimeter defender in Jerami Grant in free agency. Torrey Craig, another sturdy defensive option, is in Milwaukee. The early returns on Harris’ offense have been bad. Even though Harris is the Nuggets’ most reliable perimeter defensive option, you have to wonder if Denver can continue to play him heavy minutes if he’s going to be such an offensive minus. Like it or not, Murray may have to shoulder more responsibility on the defensive end.
“We lost a few defenders,” Murray said. “So I’m trying to step up and be that guy.”
Murray will have to keep his fouls down if he wants to keep guarding his position. On opening night against the Kings, Murray fouled out of a game for just the third time in his NBA career and first since March 2018. Fox was responsible for drawing three of six fouls Murray committed. Murray wasn’t available for overtime after fouling out with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter. Denver lost 124-122.
“If you want to be an All-Star, if you want to be an All-League player, you can’t be hidden (on defense) every night,” Malone said. “You have to be able to guard your matchup, and more importantly, you should want to guard your matchup.”
Murray then opened Denver’s Christmas Day matchup against the Clippers and two of his fellow Mamba Academy participants by guarding George. He was whistled for four fouls throughout the Nuggets’ 121-108 loss, significantly more than the 1.7 he averaged per game last season.
If he’s guarding one of an opponent’s top offensive options, you can bet that those players will go at Murray. If they get Murray into foul trouble, Denver will be down its No. 2 offensive threat. Offenses can also try and wear Murray down by targeting him. Defending elite offensive guards while acting as a heavy-hitting offensive option on the other end of the floor is a heck of an ask from Murray this season.
“Just play a little bit more aggressive, without fouling,” Murray said after the Clippers game in terms when assessing Denver’s defensive shortcomings. “I got into foul trouble for the second time in a row. I’m never in foul trouble.”
Murray was able to get both George and Leonard back. In the first quarter, while defending George, Murray ended a really strong defensive possession by moving his feet quickly, beating George to a spot on the floor, and drawing a charge on the 6-foot-8 forward.
He had other strong defensive moments too. One in particular came when Murray found himself in a similar position against Leonard.
The bigger Leonard tried to take Murray baseline. But Murray slid his feet, beat Leonard to the block, planted his body in front of the former Finals MVP and drew another charge.
Kobe would have been proud of that one.
Murray wants to set the tone for the Nuggets with his defense. He also wants to set an example. The Nuggets have seven new faces in their locker room this season, which is a ton of turnover for an organization that’s seen an incredible amount of continuity in recent years. Murray wants to show the Nuggets’ newcomers what is expected from them every night on defense.
He hopes they follow his lead.
“Thats why I’m trying to guard Paul George or Kawhi when I get a chance to,” Murray said. “Just trying take on that challenge and maybe get in their heads or just create a steal.”
“Just play hard. I always play hard.”
