NBA Draft: Jamal Murray Philadelphia 76ers Prospect Watch

With the swirling rumors that a Jahlil Okafor and/or Nerlens Noel trade is imminent highly rated guards such as Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn are very much on the Philadelphia 76ers radar. Here is my analysis of Jamal Murray, who is the guard I think is the correct choice for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Measurements

Jamal Murray has had a slew of differeant measurements at quite a few different camps. Here are the “official” college measurements for Murray.

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Height with shoes: 6’4.25″
Height without shoes: 6’3″
Weight: 207lbs
Wingspan: 6’6.5″
Standing Reach: 8’1″
Body Fat: 7.2
Non Step Vertical: 33.5″
Max Vertical: 39.5″

College Resume

Its always difficult to assess a player based on one year of college. For an 18 year old at the powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats, Murray was very impressive. Murray averaged 20.0 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, 2.3 turnovers per game, while shooting 45.4 percent from the field, and 40.8 percent from the three.

The Kentucky Wildcats record was 27-9 (13-5 in the SEC) in Murray’s only season as a Wildcat. He helped lead his team to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by a very good Indiana Hoosier team.

Upside/Downside

On paper Jamal Murray’s body metrics are not the best. 6’3″ without shoes is slightly shorter that what you would want from a potential shooting guard. Murray also doesn’t have an overly long wingspan. Pair that with very average athleticism and Murray makes for a very concerning top 7 pick on paper.

What Murray lacks in body metrics he makes up for with his shooting stroke and motor. Five rebounds a game from the guard spot in college is always a good indicator of motor, especially for someone who spends a large period of his on-court minutes outside of the 3-point line. No one can rebuke the fact that Murray has the best shooting stroke of any freshman in this draft. Murray’s release is concerning to some scouts given that he releases the ball low and in front of his face and he doesn’t elevate high on his shot. I am not concerned given how fast his release is, though.

Murray can take the ball inside and finish with high percentage shots but doesn’t do so as often as he should. One reason Murray may not go inside as much is that he isn’t overly fast and has had some difficulty going one-on-one with defenders. A large majority of Murray’s scoring comes from pick-and-roll offense or catch and shoot situations. Many see this as huge red flag, but given that the NBA is a pick-and-roll league, I see it as promising that he is so comfortable in that system already.

Murray is an average to below average defender, but with his motor I believe he will be more than serviceable in the NBA.

My biggest hesitation with Murray is that he is really position-less player at this point. He’s not fast enough and hasn’t proven he is a good enough distributor (averaged more turn overs than assists in college) to play the point guard position, but he also isn’t quite big enough to play the shooting guard position.

If I were to compare Murray to any NBA player I would say he is a better shooting version of Eric Gordon, who, if not often injured, is a good offensive weapon.

Draft Ranking

Most experts are expecting Murray to be drafted in the top 7 picks. It really is team dependent so if the Celtics or the Suns were to trade out of the 3 or 4 pick he may go higher, but neither of those teams need his position if they were to keep their pick.

Philadelphia 76ers and Jamal Murray

Like I stated earlier I believe Murray is a much better fit for the Philadelphia 76ers than Kris Dunn. Most critics of the Sixers selecting Ben Simmons is that the Sixers do not need another player who cannot shoot. If that is the case than why such a big push for Kris Dunn who is an inconsistent shooter at best?

If the Sixers take Simmons number one and Murray is available outside of the top 4 I would not hesitate to trade up to get him. Murray’s shooting would open up to floor for Ben Simmons giving him scary potential to catch the ball in post with space giving him numerous play making options.

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I would absolutely be willing to trade to get Murray, but I wouldn’t give up Jahlil Okafor to do so. If Murray was available between 5-7 I would not hesitate to trade Noel, the 24th overall pick, and the 26th overall pick to get Murray. He really is an impressive shooter and what he lacks in some areas he makes up in his ability to create space for a team that has an abundance of talented big men.