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Why Kentucky’s Jamal Murray Is The Best Player In This Year’s NBA Draft

By Ty OKeefe
Published on: 15:56 PST, Jun 9, 2016

Since showing flashes of NBA potential and displaying LeBron-like athleticism during his first and only year in the NCAA, LSU’s Ben Simmons has been the odds-on favorite to be selected first overall in the upcoming NBA Draft.

But there’s another young gun eyeing the NBA who’s worthy of the draft’s highest honor, and while he too has only spent one season under the bright lights of big-time college basketball, valuable experience earned as a key part of Canada’s silver medal-winning squad at last summer’s Pan-Am Games will give Kentucky’s Jamal Murray a serious edge as an NBA rookie.

After finishing with 30 points to earn MVP honors at the Nike Hoops Summit in the spring of 2015, Murray instantly became more than just a Canadian question mark hoping to find a place in Kentucky’s rotation. But it was Murray’s star-making performance at last summer’s Pan-Am Games that first put him on the NBA’s radar.

Armed with a steady handle and NBA-range, Murray was the youngest player to earn a spot on the Canadian Men’s National Team that upset the United States 111-108 in overtime during the semi-finals of the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto, and proven by his 22-point, six-assist performance, Murray wasn’t just there to ride the pine.

Playing alongside the likes of fellow Canucks such as Andrew Nicholson of the Orlando Magic, former number-one draft pick Anthony Bennett, and former Baylor Bear Brady Heslip, Murray was crucial to the team’s success during the five-game tournament, all while gaining priceless experience against current and future pros ahead of his first year under head coach John Calipari at Kentucky.

While speaking to the media immediately following Murray’s debut with team Canada at last summer’s Pan-Am Games, national team head coach Jay Triano had extremely high praise for the young point guard with a bright future.

”He’s [Murray] got great poise to him, he knows how to control the game, he moves the basketball, can score the basketball. We’re working with him continuously on how to defend against men,” said Triano. ”He’s got a confidence about him. I asked him if he was tired once and he said, ‘Coach, I’m 18.’ He’s got that attitude where he wants to be on the floor, he’s a great kid to coach.”

Entering one of college basketball’s most powerful programs while surrounded with sky-high expectations isn’t easy for anyone. For Murray however, the transition from high school hoops prodigy to Lexington’s latest starting freshman appeared almost effortless, and after finishing with only eight points in his second game as a Wildcat, Murray never dipped below double-digits again.

When the dust had finally settled on Murray’s freshman campaign, the kid from Kitchener, Ontario, had averaged a team-high 20-points per game, sat third in rebounds with 5.2 per game, shot 41 percent from long-range, and contributed 2.2 assists per game — a number that will undoubtedly increase at the next level, while leading the Wildcats to a 27-9 record, an SEC Conference Tournament crown, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Earlier this week, Calipari grabbed headlines when he suggested that the Philadelphia 76ers should take Murray with the NBA Draft’s top pick instead of Simmons during an interview on ESPN’s College Basketball Podcast.

”What does Philadelphia need more than anything else? Someone to make shots and guard play,” said Calipari. ”I am biased. I want my guy. But he can play multiple positions, he can physically step in and play right away. He can play the point. He can score in bunches. You watch Golden State. Who really is their point guard? Whoever has it.”

Standing six-foot, five-inches, and weighing-in at just over 200 pounds, Murray definitely possesses the frame of an NBA point guard, and his NCAA resume speaks volumes about his pro potential. But this week, it was Murray’s record-setting performance while working out for the Boston Celtics that set the rookie rankings ablaze.

With the third overall selection, some say that Boston will be Murray’s first NBA destination. And immediately following his NBA audition in which he impressed the franchise’s front office by hitting 79 of his 100 attempts from beyond the arc to set a new Celtics’ workout record, Murray sounded extremely confident when speaking to the media.

”I believe I’m the best player in the draft, but every team needs what they need,” said Murray.

According to NBA.com’s Consensus Mock Draft, a ”compilation of the best mock drafts from around the web,” Simmons is projected to be chosen by Philadelphia as the top overall pick, followed by Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who will be taken second by the Los Angeles Lakers, Croatian big-man Dragan Bender will be drafted by Boston third overall, the Phoenix Suns will take Jaylen Brown at number four, and Murray will be drafted fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Obviously, joining fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins and former Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns in the land of 10,000 lakes wouldn’t be a bad thing for Murray if the team didn’t already have point guards Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, and Tyus Jones on its roster. Still, you get the feeling that Murray would quickly work his way up the depth chart.

Although brief and against far-lesser competition, Simmons does have some experience with Australia’s national squad, and he’s easily the best athlete in this year’s draft. But despite his seemingly-limitless NBA potential, Simmons is extremely raw and still somewhat unfamiliar with the league’s style of play. Of course, that doesn’t mean that he won’t find instant NBA success.

But regardless of who he’s compared to, nobody in this year’s draft class possesses Murray’s combination of court vision, scoring ability, on-court leadership, advanced basketball IQ, and big-game experience at both the collegiate and international levels.

Coach Cal wasn’t just singing the praises of his own mighty program — Murray is the cream of this year’s rookie crop, and for the second time in three years, a Canadian deserves to be the first player taken in the NBA Draft.

[Photo By-Andy Lyons/Getty Images]

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