Dejounte Murray thrives as starter in huge win over the Cavs
The changing of the guard, it feels as seamless as it was silent for the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, if you aren’t a fan of their organization you might not have noticed the change at all. So for all the hoops fans out there who still have no clue what I’m addressing, I’ll begin my explanation.
David Robinson passed the torch to Tim Duncan, Timmy passed it to Manu Ginobili, Manu passed it to Tony Parker, and Kawhi Leonard came out of nowhere to pick up the torch when the Big Three started slowing down. Parker never really got the chance to hand it down to a successor, but 1151 starts later, the French basketball legend is finally passing on the torch to second year point guard Dejounte Murray.
Murray played sparingly during his rookie year in San Antonio, but with the Spurs succumbing to injury after injury, he’s had plenty of opportunities to show what he can do as both a starter and a bench player for a playoff contender. Though it hasn’t always been pretty, the spindly guard out of Washington University has shown flashes of two-way upside over the past two years that suggest he has the talent to thrive as a lead playmaker for years to come.
It may not happen today, tomorrow or even next season, but the Spurs are banking on Murray to lead their franchise alongside superstar Kawhi Leonard and sidekick LaMarcus Aldridge. If there’s anything that basketball fans know, it’s that when the Spurs make a gutsy move, rarely does it fail to end up in their favor. Just look at how Parker and Ginobili turned out for their organization.
Sunday was his first game in his new role as a full-time starter, and as expected from any young player, Murray showed as much enthusiasm as he did inexperience. Fortunately for Murray and the team, Murray isn’t expected to be their knight in shining armor right off the bat. At least, that’s not how many around the league have interpreted this move from Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.
Incredibly, as if his up and down performance never existed, Murray came out Tuesday and put in what was probably his best game as a professional. Not only did he help lead the Spurs to victory over the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, 114-102, but he received high praise from The King himself after an impassioned effort on the defensive end of the floor.
The night was supposed to be about LeBron James and his landmark achievement of reaching 30000 career points, but it was hard to ignore Murray’s big night in front of a sold-out AT&T Center crowd. The sophomore guard locked down the opposition with a career-high seven steals and showcased his versatility on offense with 10 boards and 19 points including an emphatic jam in transition.
With Leonard sidelined and the rest of the team battling the injury bug, it’s easy to forget just how good the Spurs have been with makeshift lineups on a night to night basis. However, if you’re LeBron James, you’re not getting any younger, and though Father Time has yet to catch up to him, it’s unlikely that San Antonio has slipped from his radar. Not only are they a direct threat to his fourth title, but they may just be the answer to how he gets there.
Let’s not forget that despite the many offseason free agency rumors linking James to the Lakers and Rockets, the Spurs are very much a possible destination for the best player in the world. While Los Angeles offers a surplus of young talent and Houston offers two superstars, the Spurs can offer two time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, rising star Murray, the deepest bench in the NBA and last and most importantly they would give him an opportunity to play under the guidance of the best coach of his generation, Gregg Popovich,
You can laugh all you want at this preposterous proposition, but let me remind you the last time we thought LeBron was glued to Cleveland, he up and left for Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. He won two titles in South Beach and it wouldn’t be ridiculous to think he could win even more in the Alamo City by teaming up with the most cerebral franchise in basketball.
Nobody would have given the Spurs a chance to win 30 plus games at this point in the season if you told them they’d be playing without Kawhi Leonard, yet here they are in third place in the Western Conference. If that’s what San Antonio is capable of doing shorthanded, imagine how great they could be if The King came to town.
Of course, nothing’s set in stone and this is just speculation, but don’t discount this possibility. James has a phenomenal amount of respect for Popovich, Ginobili and Parker, he admires the drive and determination of Murray and he would love nothing more than to beat the Warriors on his way to chasing a fourth title. The Spurs have never been the flashiest team, but with the addition of LeBron, even that could change.
