Denver Nuggets Select Jamal Murray In NBA Draft

With the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets select Jamal Murray, according to the Denver Post. The Nuggets had a list of priorities going into the offseason. The team finished 26th in the National Basketball Association in three-point shooting. The addition of Murray gives the Nuggets the shooting they were looking for.

Jamal Murray is one of the best players to come out of the college ranks. He has a very good offensive skills set. Murray is the only Kentucky player to have scored over 30 points in more than one game during a freshman season. He averaged 20 points, 2.2 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in 35.2 minutes.

Jamal Murray is 6’4″, 207 pounds. He can play both the point guard and shooting guard position. Murray played the shooting guard during his one year at Kentucky. Coach Calipari played him at the two guard so he can play beside point guard Tyler Ulis who was selected with the 34th pick in the NBA Draft.

.@BeMore27 celebrates being selected with the No. 7 overall pick by @denvernuggets at the #NBADrafthttps://t.co/36erxWIIt6

— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 24, 2016

The Denver Nuggets selected Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in last summer’s NBA Draft. He and Jamal Murray would form a very formidable guard combination for the next several year. Mudiay averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in his rookie season.

The Denver Nuggets added another piece for them to build around for the future. Jamal Murray is 19 years old and Emmanuel Mudiay just turned 20 years old. The Nuggets also have Nikola Jokic. He is a center they drafted last summer. Jokic proved to be a surprise for the Nuggets. He was a second-round pick. Jokic averaged 10 points and seven rebounds.

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone believes that Emmanuel Mudiay will benefit from the season draft class. The Nuggets drafted three shooters in the NBA Draft. They selected Juan Hernangomez with the 15th pick. He is a shooting power forward from Spain. The Nuggets selected Malik Beasley with the 19th pick.

The three players the Denver Nuggets pick made 201 three pointers combined. They shot 39.3 percent for their respective teams during the season. Jamal Murray made 113 of those. The Nuggets needed to add some players who can shoot beyond the arc. They did just that in the draft.

The Denver Nuggets got the player they wanted in the NBA Draft. They had Jamal Murray third on their draft board. The Nuggets believe Murray is the best scorer in the draft. He’s best in catch-and-shoot situations off the screen, a skill that translates immediately in the NBA. Murray shot 58 percent coming off screens.

Jamal Murray can do much more than just shoot from beyond the arc. He has the ability to get to the rim and finish with either hand. Murray is projected to be a 20-plus scorer in the NBA in a couple years.

The Denver Nuggets believe Jamal Murray will come in and immediately compete with Gary Harris for the starting shooting guard spot. Harris was the starting shooting guard for the Nuggets last season. He averaged 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Harris shot 46 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

From the looks of things, the Denver Nuggets have improved the future of their team by drafting Jamal Murray. The Nuggets hope that he and Emmanuel Mudiay would form a very dominant back court in the near future. They have a very young team and an excellent coach to guide them.

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