Editor's Note: With Player Days launching this week, Nuggets.com revisits this feature about Jamal Murray's top five moments in Denver.
Five more years. The Nuggets secured one of the biggest members of their young core after Jamal Murray signed his maximum contract extension Wednesday. Similar to Nikola Jokić’s extension last summer, the Nuggets are putting their faith in the 22-year-old guard becoming a cornerstone for the franchise. To his credit, there have been plenty of signs in his time at the Mile High City that showed he can deliver on those expectations. Murray had arguably his best campaign last season, proving to be one of the deadliest offensive threats in the NBA and helping lead the Nuggets to 54 wins – tied for the second most regular season victories in franchise history. The Canadian averaged career-highs in points (18.2), assists (4.8) and rebounds (4.2) and shot 43.7 percent from the floor. As good as Murray was in the 2018-19 season, his internal desire to be great is well-documented and he will continue to grow as one of the NBA’s top young talents. Here are five moments in Murray’s time in the Mile High City which point to a bright future for the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 draft: Getting his first NBA field goal Murray’s first week in the NBA wasn’t pretty. Then just a teenager trying to get his footing in the league, the former Kentucky Wildcat wouldn’t score his first field goal until his fifth game as a Nugget. He went a combined 0 of 16 in his first four NBA appearances. Yet, those early struggles wouldn’t deter him. He would score his first NBA bucket in a nine-point effort against the Detroit Pistons in a loss on Nov. 5, 2016. The rest is history. “I just had to get that first bucket out of the way. After that, it was just play the game,” Murray told the Denver Post. “They give me the green light to shoot the ball, so I’ve been shooting it with confidence and not think twice about it.”
The ability to compartmentalize bad performances and move on quickly is one of Murray’s better traits and he immediately displayed his resilience in his rookie season. After a slow start, he would finish as the Western Conference’s Rookie of the Month for November, averaging 11 points and converting on 39 percent from downtown. Murray was a second-team selection to the NBA All-Rookie team by season’s end. That initial campaign was also the start of a strong relationship between Michael Malone and Murray, with the head coach immediately admiring the guard’s gutsy style of play. “The biggest growth I’ve seen is just his mental toughness, his poise in handling adversity and just the self-confidence he has,” Malone said that season. “He’s not afraid of the moment. ” MVP of 2017 Rising Stars Challenge Bright lights bring out the best of Jamal Murray. The Nuggets’ guard has a tendency to play up to the moment and his first taste of it came during the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge as a rookie. Starring alongside teammate Nikola Jokić for Team World, Murray showcased his talent to a global audience on All-Star Weekend. He finished with a game-high in points (36) and assists (11), becoming the third Nugget to win Rising Stars MVP.
By the way, Jokić would almost have a triple-double in the game, going for 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Murray’s first dominant performance Murray wouldn’t score 30 points in a game until his sophomore season, but when he did it was certainly memorable. Battling a recent shooting slump, the then-20-year-old guard with a 32-point outburst against the Orlando Magic – an n18-point win for Denver. Murray was incredibly efficient in that game, going 6-of-9 from three and12-for-17 overall. “I was hitting and they kept finding me,” Murray would say after the game. He sure was. Forty-Eight Special
Fast forward to the 2018-19 season and Murray is fully entrenched as the starting point guard for the Nuggets. Although Denver’s offense primarily runs through its playmaking All-Star center in Jokić, there were several times throughout the season when Murray showed the NBA why he’s a player to keep an eye on. There was no better example than an early season rumble against the Boston Celtics and All-Star Kyrie Irving. In short, Murray was on a mission. The third-year player went off for a career-high 48 points and enraged his star opposition in the process. Murray scored 19 of his mesmerizing total in the fourth quarter and was clearly aiming for 50, which got Irving so upset he heaved the ball into the stands after the game. More important than his scoring total, Murray was motivated to show that the Nuggets, off to a 9-1 start, were motivated to contend. “Are we for real yet?” he asked. “Who else do we have to go through? What else do I got to do? We’ve done some great stuff. We haven’t accomplished nothing, though.” First postseason run Murray’s propensity to step up in crucial moments showed itself in 2019 playoffs, the Nuggets’ first appearance in seven years and the guard’s postseason debut. Who could forget his memorable 23-point fourth quarter against the Spurs to secure Denver’s Game 2 win? Months later, Malone still points to that game as the most important victory of the season as the team would have gone 0-2. In many ways, that win best encapsulates Murray’s career to date. He can miss his first eight to 10 shots and still find ways to be lethal at the closing stages of games. READ MORE: Anatomy of a comeback In the second round against the Blazers, Murray delivers some of the most consistent and promising play of his career. Facing Portland’s two star guards in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Denver’s lead guard more than held his own – averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists with just 1.3 turnovers per game. Murray struggled in the Game 7, shooting 4 of 22 in a game which saw the Nuggets exit the postseason. Yet, if his career trajectory is any indication of what’s to come, Denver fans should be excited to see how the guard responds to that setback. “I think going into next season, just like how missing the playoffs motivated us, trying to be the best we can be will try to motivate us,” Murray said at the end of the season before later adding. “It’s going to be motivating next season to come back stronger and come back faster. More assertive, more consistent, more efficient.”