Most Improved Player: Jamal Murray
In a surprising turn of events, Jamal Murray came out of the gate looking out of sync and not ready for the defensive pressure he was presented with. His shot was off target and the game looked far too fast for him. Murray was making careless turnovers and when he was looking to score, he could not get out from under the blanket of whoever was guarding him. To his credit, though, he remained somewhat aggressive, even if it did equate to him becoming more of a chucker than a shooter.
But once game three against the Miami Heat came around, everything began to change.
As the team came out onto the court, it Jamal Murray seemed noticeably more relaxed. He was laughing and smiling with teammates, and he was putting up three-point shots that were falling with ease. Once the game began, he was ultra aggressive; the “chucker” of before was gone and Murray was now hunting for his shots. He was getting to the rim, creating looks for teammates, hitting three-pointers and playing solid on-ball defense.
More importantly, he gave Nuggets fans a glimpse into the future. By the end of the third quarter, he had tallied 23 points on 7-15 from the field.
While Jamal Murray was always expected to light up Summer League, it took a little longer than we thought to actually see it. But better late than never.
It was extremely important for him to show himself that he has the ability to play his game at the next level. Huge improvement from games one and two.
