The Denver Nuggets are one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the NBA. One of the main reasons for that is the emergence of their young guard, Jamal Murray. Murray really came on the scene in 2017-18, as he averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. For this Denver team to reach new heights, he’ll have to keep improving.
That shouldn’t be a far-fetched scenario, either. The Nuggets have some really good young pieces on their roster already. With Murray and Gary Harris in the starting backcourt, Denver looks set for the future on the perimeter. Combined with one of the best bigs in the league in Nikola Jokic, a steady contributor in Paul Millsap, and bench scorers Isaiah Thomas and Will Barton, they could be one of the top three offenses in the NBA next season.
Once again, though, that largely hinges on Murray taking another leap. Last year marked his transition to playing full-time point guard in the NBA. In his first season, he played shooting guard 58 percent of the time, and was a lead guard only 41 percent of his possessions, per Basketball-Reference.
Last year, Murray was running the point 93 percent of the time. His further development in a critical third year is going to tell a lot about how he can run an offense, and not just get buckets for himself. His first goal for next season involves seeing the floor better.
Goal #1: Average Five Assists Per Game
