Dejounte Murray Becomes Great Player for Spurs in a Hurry
Forget the Alamo, remember Dejounte Murray.
In San Antonio, the former University of Washington point guard is steadily turning himself into one of the elite players in the NBA, someone the leading franchises keep threatening to trade for and remove from Texas.
On Sunday, the Seattle native registered the eighth triple-double of his pro career with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Spurs' 112-97 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Over the past month, he turned in double-doubles over seven consecutive games, bringing it every night. He put up 17 points and 14 assists against Phoenix, 15 points and 13 dishes against Portland. He accomplished something the Spurs hadn't seen since all-everything forward Tim Duncan did this in 2009.
Last week, Murray outplayed Golden State's Steph Curry by providing his typical stat line of 23 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in a 112-107 victory over the then 19-3 Warriors, bothering Curry enough that he suffered through a 7-for-28 shooting effort.
Following the game, the Warriors' Draymond Green was so impressed with Murray he gave him his jersey with an inspirational message inscribed on it.
"To Dejounte: Love what you are doing lil bro! You a mud baby, keep that same hunger and will to be great," Green wtore.
A fifth-year NBA veteran, Murray is one of just four players across the league who averages 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, rubbing elbows with the much higher-profile Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Luka Doncic.
In triple-doubles, Murray trails only highly productive center David Robinson (14) in San Antonio's glorious pro basketball past.
His most well-rounded outing this season came against the Los Angeles Lakers in October when he rang up 21 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists.
Murray, 25, has come into his own six seasons after playing only as a UW freshman in 2016 for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies. He experienced a setback entering his third NBA year when he tore his right anterior cruciate knee ligament and sat out the entire 2019 schedule.
He's taken his game another level by using his long 6-foot-4 frame and overly determined approach every night. With San Antonio in a rebuild mode, Murray is team centerpiece and a fan favorite.
Murray is the Spurs' primary ball-handler for the first time in his career, which has given him more opportunity to do so much more. He's bulked up his body in order finish at the rim more consistently.
A poor shooter when first entering the NBA, he's become one of the league's top mid-range shooters. This has enabled him to increase his scoring average over the past three seasons from 10.9 to 15.7 to his current 18.
As he continues to score, dish and rebound, Murray is making himself a serious candidate to win the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
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