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I know he had a bit of an off night last night but this kid's progress so far this season is kinda staggering. He's done an outstanding job of filling in for Tony over the past 3 games and he's been far more under control, his jumper has looked solid and his ability to finish around the rim is breath taking.

Highlights from his last couple games:





How good do yous think this kid can be?

I was nervous when I heard Rich Paul was holding him out of workouts, but I have seen enough personally. The Spurs have already humbled him, they hold him accountable and he actually admits to learning from Tony, Manu, Kawhi and Tim, while also listening to the coach staff. As the body fills out and he cleans up his ball-handling, seems like a future all-star.

6'5 with an even longer wingspan. Year 3 of this kid is probably a nightmare next to Kawhi and Danny Green on the perimeter defensively. I will never say All-NBA because that means he becomes a top 15 player in the league, but if he shows that he can arguably be that, the Spurs will continue to be contenders for the next 7-10 years.

He's got Crawford in his game, but he has better teachers (and he listens). Something tells me the Spurs are secretly excited about what he has become, because they are treating him eerily similar to Kawhi as a rookie. I remember him early in the season just being a turnover machine, now he's confident running the team not even two months later.

His first step and general speed burst is almost unguardable. Really surprised at his finishing skills as well, usually guys take a year or two to get the feel for the quicker and stronger nba.

And great to see a young player not in love with launching threes.

this kid is what is actually meant by 'raw' - most people say raw but actually mean 'garbage'

He gives me an unusual confidence for a rookie when he runs the point. That alone is pretty eloquent.

Cartuse wrote:He gives me an unusual confidence for a rookie when he runs the point. That alone is pretty eloquent.

Definitely. He was so turnover prone in preseason and in the minutes he got early in the season but now he's gotten himself under control and isn't forcing anything.

I initially thought his future would be as a sorta scoring combo guard but as of late he showing that he is capable of being a full time point guard. Just needs to work on his pick and roll passing and his court awareness.

How he looks at defense? I didn't pay too much attention in that aspect with him...
He looks like the steal of this draft.

jptremblay wrote:How he looks at defense? I didn't pay too much attention in that aspect with him...
He looks like the steal of this draft.

At times it's looked pretty good actually. He uses his quickness well, is pretty decent defending the pick and roll and he's shown some good instincts with his hands.

He needs to get stronger and he has made some mistakes (most of them positioning related) but overall he's shown that he can hold his own and that he has the potential to be a plus player on that end.

He also has rebounding instincts for a guard. He might have some triple doubles in his future.

He just needs to keep working on his 3 and playmaking, but I really like him. Against the Raps what I was most impressed with was how vocal he was with the vets, how engaged he was during timeouts and with Pop, and his positive and enthusiastic body language. Of course it goes without saying that he's uber-talented, extremely quick, and has a sick handle.

I've thought that Devin Booker is a current player that most resembles MJ's competitiveness. Booker comes at you like Jordan did. I can still see MJ obsessively stalking and trash talking Bobby Sura the first time they played. The message to Sura was this: this is my league rook. Booker attacks you in a similar way. He showed no reverence to the Spurs when the Suns played us this year.

Watching Murray reminds me of MJ in a different manner. Murray has a confidence in his eyes that reminds me of MJ's eyes. Murray believes in himself. And damn is he quick. Murray has intangibles and talent.