Dejounte Murray is taking his role as the San Antonio Spurs’ point guard of the future very seriously.
The 20-year-old floor general showed flashes of promise during his rookie campaign, hitting 39.1 percent of his threes, shooting a so-so-but-not-terrible 55.9 percent at the rim and delivering nifty passes on the move. His mid-range game is a work in progress, and he’ll need to be more efficient and decisive on drives, but at 6’5″, he’s a worker bee on defense with the chops to switch up to three positions.
Next season figures to present a prime opportunity for him as a sophomore. No one quite nows when, or really if, Tony Parker will return to the rotation by the time the calendar turns to 2018, and the Spurs opted to re-sign Patty Mills rather than go all out for a splashy acquisition at point guard. Murray’s development is suddenly integral not just to San Antonio’s future, but its present.
Murray, to his credit, is taking steps this summer to ensure he’s ready. And these steps, per the San Antonio Express-News‘ Jabari Young include working out with Kawhi Leonard and speaking to LeBron James:
Following Summer League, Murray will head to San Diego to work out with Kawhi Leonard, an invitation he was more than happy to accept.
“He wants me there with him because he knows I want to get better and he knows how great I want to be,” Murray said. “He’s a great player; still adding to his legacy. If somebody invites me to get better, I want to be right there.”
Also on the to-do list? Speaking with LeBron James, who just so happens to share an agent with Murray. Murray said he didn’t want to converse with James during the season, but plans to talk basketball with the Cleveland Cavaliers star soon.
Said Murray: “That’s someone who took me under his wing and has been great to me.”
So, with all this being said, should we slot Dejounte Murray into the 2018 All-Star game or should we be more realistic and wait for, like, the 2019 exhibition?
