Dejounte Murray (notes from Washington vs San Diego State)

[stitches]

I posted this on our board since there are some rumors that the Jazz are interested in Dejounte Murray. So I'm cross-posting here to hear more opinions....
So here we go:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzSp8AMd04E[/youtube]
Will update my impressions starting here:

-nice quick step into a fugly 1 dribble pull up 18-footer shot. At least he looked natural creating the space, the defender didn't even have a chance to contest.
-quick running the floor, nice behind back pass to Chriss on the break, followed by a great pick and pop pass to Chriss for the wide open J. His length would be good seeing over defenders.
-moves feet well on D, OK contest in the lane
-seems to play a lot off-ball on O.
-pushes in transition after made basket, a bit of a wild shot in traffic.
-runs the floor again in transition after made basket, smooth shiftiness, puts up another contested shot in the paint(touch doesn't seem great)
-quick burst out of the pnr into the paint, finger-roll rolls out - again - questionable touch.
-OK defensive possession - gave up middle too easily(still good feet, maybe they don't teach them not to give up middle?), but good contest against a bigger player forces the miss.
-nice handle, finds himself going against the help-defender going into the paint but again forces a heavily contested ill-advised shot, misses again
-attacks the closeout well, gets in the paint this time scores through contact AND-1.
-LARGER POINT - he seems to be able to get whereever he wants on the floor with the ball. He likes contact, tries to finish through it. Isn't good enough to do it right now.
-2 consecutive possessions with questionable passes. You know how Dante's passes seemed a bit telegraphed last year - those two had a similar feel to them.
-another contested and blocked shot, this time from the corner 3 with 17 seconds on the clock. Yikes.
-leads the fast break, good pass in transition.
-damn, he's so shifty, finds little spaces and uses them to penetrate, the problem - again - throws his body into the defender and misses the contested shot at the rim.
-I LOVE HIS SPEED in the open floor. Catches rebound/deflection, runs the other way, creates layup for teammate.
-beat off the dribble on D, expected opponent to use the screen. was surprised by the screen denial, allows a layup.
-he does the same thing again and again - uses shiftiness to get in the paint - jacks up contested shot. Seems wild. This time it dropped. I wonder how often those drop? He's 2/8 right now.
-another ill-advised shot with a defender on him from the corner 3 with 23 seconds on the clock.
-he looks like a street-ball player.
-OK, I don't know if I can keep watching this - he seems resolute to shoot every time he touches it... gets in the paint again, and jacks up another contested shot, misses again. It looked kinda fun in the beginning, but it is becoming kind of frustrating. Show me something else!!!
-(he was taken out, seems like his coach had enough of it)
-back in after 1 minute, his coach probably gave him a mouthful and let him back in... lets see how he reacts. 2 minutes to go from the half. First possession gave it up in the beginning, didn't get it back
-nice deflection on D... he's long.
(on a side note - did Pope drop out of the draft? I love some of the things he does.)
-Final possession - dribbling out the clock... same old - gets in the paint - misses heavily contested shot. :\
-Murray practically single-handedly is shooting them out of the game - Washington down by 16 at the half.

Second half
-pick and roll into a 12-foot floater... goes in. I'm not sure, but that might be a better shot for him than throwing his body into defenders and expecting his shot to fall at the rim.
-he drove again, and hit another contested shot.
-misses open teammates - keeps shooting. This time fouled. About 60-70% of his shots would make Quin go crazy!
-shifty move into the paint, throws his body into the defender, draws foul. I can see why some people like him, if his shot is falling or he's getting fouled he can be a fun player to watch, but also he seems the kind of player that would make you scream in desperation some nights.
-gets beat off the dribble, allows penetration and layup.
-Murray in the lane again... he has no problem getting in the paint with the ball ... this time finishes with a nifty layup.(second half has been better finishing)
-Damn, he's shifty and elusive. Gets in the paint without ANY PROBLEM. But again - throws his body into defender - misses the shot.
-Larger point: I think he might be better served trying some variety in his finishes. He seems to throw his body into opponents as a means to create space and not get the shot block, but he might be better served trying some floaters or more creative finishes around the rim.
-slow getting back in transition, allows a wide open dunk
-HOLY **** POPE!
-a bit out of control, throws another ill-advised shot. He seems not to be able to help himself.
-follows the fastbreak, finishes the tap in.
-grabs rebound, pushes the fastbreak, teammates gets fouled.
-LENGTH on D, deflects another ball.. followed by a good contest on a jumpshot.
-leaks on the fast break, wide open dunk in transition.
-WOW! Great pass on the backdoor cut from the wing. Again - his length helps him see things develop. I wish he'd pass more. I want to see his passing on the drives... I want to see him drive and dish and drive and kick. It's a 5 point game now.
-grabs the rebound, pushes the transition - great bounce pass to Chriss for the dunk. SWEET!
-got beat on a backdoor cut, fouls the opponent
-great defensive possession - moves his feet well, hands straight up, steals the ball, pushes in transition - eurosteps into a layup, which misses, but Chriss follow with the slam.
-didn't give much resistance against a bigger player on the block... pretty much let him score
-curl into the paint, nice floater - scores.
-drives in the paint - fouled.
(double digits lead for SDS with 3 minutes left)
-wild spin into the paint, mishandles the ball, TO.
-length on D, pokes ball away and steals it... scores in transition.
-pull up 3 in transition rims out.

Done....

Tl;dr - he is an exciting prospect at first glance. Very shifty, quick, good handle. Can get anywhere he wants on the floor with the ball, uses small spaces well, gets in the paint without any problem. Throws his body into defenders, likes contact, but doesn't seem good finishing through contact and in traffic. Has a nice floater. Takes a ton of ill-advised shots. TUNNEL VISION! Has good length on D, deflects balls, and sees over defenders on O. GREAT speed in the open floor. Jumpshot is not good. If he can be tamed and coached, might be a good prospect. LONG WAY to go IMO.

[crazy_me_87]

I think Dejounte is the ultimate "High Risk/High Reward" pick in this draft.

He is long,athletic,agressive,great handles etc..
His shot and Strenght(he is light as hell) are major concerns though..

If he works hard on his shot and on getting stronger.. he could be a huge suprise.
He has big time Potential.. but as OP said. propably a long way to go.

[SelfishPlayer]

Seattle area prospects to me are like the modern day NYC area prospect from the past. They have exceptional flash to their game that can lead people to think that they can translate that to the NBA and develop further. It's largely fools gold.

[Coeur]

Second best pg in this draft. Adams is more ready as the second best now but dejounte has slightly higher ceiling

[MotownMadness]

I can definitely see the long term potential. It's just the bust probability also seems high to me as he's not good right now.

[Frank Nova]

If the Bucks take him at 10 I'll be extremely mad. He's like a homeless mans version of MCW

[EMG518]

If the Bucks take him at 10 I'll be extremely mad. He's like a homeless mans version of MCW

They won't, trust me. They don't need another guy on the perimeter whom cant shoot. I think they grab a big.

[Frank Nova]

If the Bucks take him at 10 I'll be extremely mad. He's like a homeless mans version of MCW

They won't, trust me. They don't need another guy on the perimeter whom cant shoot. I think they grab a big.

Fords 9.0 mock has Bucks taking D Murray at 10 and I just heard he was invited to the green room at the draft. 2 bad signs for Bucks fans. I hope you're right though. He definitely can't shoot, is turnover prone and plays lazy defense, he's a big 'do not want' for me. Hopefully it's just a smokescreen Bucks are so interested and it's really Utah or Chicago that takes him. Can't understand why anyone would like Murray more than Baldwin or Jackson personally.

[Upperclass]

He's def. not JCraw 2.0.. looks a heck of alot like another Tony Wroten

[Catchall]

I'm starting to warm up to Dejounte Murray. I think he's shiftier and possibly a bit more explosive than Michael Carter-Williams. He's got decent vision, can move at different speeds and slip into the lane pretty easily.

That said, I'll be surprised if the Jazz take him. I think the Jazz will take one of the bigs (Poeltl/Skal/Davis) or Korkmaz at 12.

[GimmeDat]

I wouldn't worry about the Bucks targeting him, doesn't seem like he'd be on their radar.

[doordoor123]

I'm starting to warm up to Dejounte Murray. I think he's shiftier and possibly a bit more explosive than Michael Carter-Williams. He's got decent vision, can move at different speeds and slip into the lane pretty easily.

That said, I'll be surprised if the Jazz take him. I think the Jazz will take one of the bigs (Poeltl/Skal/Davis) or Korkmaz at 12.

It is more likely the pick is traded

[MalonesElbows]

If the Bucks take him at 10 I'll be extremely mad. He's like a homeless mans version of MCW

They won't, trust me. They don't need another guy on the perimeter whom cant shoot. I think they grab a big.

Fords 9.0 mock has Bucks taking D Murray at 10 and I just heard he was invited to the green room at the draft. 2 bad signs for Bucks fans. I hope you're right though. He definitely can't shoot, is turnover prone and plays lazy defense, he's a big 'do not want' for me. Hopefully it's just a smokescreen Bucks are so interested and it's really Utah or Chicago that takes him. Can't understand why anyone would like Murray more than Baldwin or Jackson personally.

Both Murray and Baldwin fit your teams mold as a lanky, defensive disrupting running mate with Giannis. The Jazz probably prefer Baldwin as he is a much better shooter and Hayward can generate open looks for him. Overall Murray has a slightly higher upside if he can fill out to 200 lbs. It's worth noting Murray is only 6 months younger than Baldwin spite being a freshman. Good chance the Jazz take whichever one you don't. Good luck.

[bwgood77]

I think Dejounte is the ultimate "High Risk/High Reward" pick in this draft.

He is long,athletic,agressive,great handles etc..
His shot and Strenght(he is light as hell) are major concerns though..

If he works hard on his shot and on getting stronger.. he could be a huge suprise.
He has big time Potential.. but as OP said. propably a long way to go.

What do you think is his upside comp...like if he develops perfectly to maximize ability?

[RipCity71252]

Murray over Baldwin for me.

Better shooter than his percentages shows. Think he can become an average shooter at least that can get his shot off comfortably at all levels of the floor. Needs to clean up his shot prep and doesn't always square his shoulders, but he has natural release and the ball looks good coming out of his hands. His instincts are advanced for his age, plays with pace in the pnr (does a great job maintaining dribble and getting the guard on his back), great handle and shows great vision and accuracy on transition passes, quick hands and feet on D.

Much like Ingram, he's going to need to get stronger to help him finish around the rim. Not the best leaper, but has a great first step which allows him to get to the rim at will and shows good control with either hand. Just doesn't have the strength right now to keep guys on his hip and and maintain his balance on his drives. Shows the ability to go left and right with burst. Great floater game, which he'll need to continue to rely on as he gets better at the rim.

Baldwin scares me. Great measurables, and I think he has a chance to be a lower end starter if his spot shooting is for real (I have my doubts) and if he can be a more focused defender, but I think he might have issues with the nba line and if he doesn't become an above average shooter, he comes out looking like a below average offensive player at best which seriously limits his potential.

[sweetcity]

Kings are probably dumb enough to take him

[Chuck Everett]

So this kid was a steal. I saw the highlights and stuff in college, but his actual end to end speed is what's impressive and unlike Jamal Crawford, he is being coached out of his bad habits immediately. Spurs have basically removed him from the D-League as they've seen enough from him there now.

He still needs to work on a) getting stronger b) not having tunnel vision and c) tighten up his handles, but with his size, length and speed, along with 3-point and in-between game, literally looks like a definite starter as possible all-star caliber guard to pare with Kawhi going forward. I've seen all of his pro games thus far and his improvement has been impressive to say the least.

I honestly expected him to be in the D-League all year, but when they waived Laprovittola, I should have realized something was up. The Spurs are basically gushing about this kid.

[jrob23]

I really wanted BOS to take him with the pick they used on Yabusele or Zizic because I saw like everyone else that IT and AB were coming up for FA and I didn't think we'd keep one or both. Murray I felt was a 2-3 year project but had elite size and PG skills so would be ready just in time. Once again the Spurs get another find. He had a great game last night with 24 points. He's still very young and needs to get bigger but I had him as the 2nd best PG in the draft and for the Spurs to get him so late is a testament to their system/drafting.

[doordoor123]

So this kid was a steal. I saw the highlights and stuff in college, but his actual end to end speed is what's impressive and unlike Jamal Crawford, he is being coached out of his bad habits immediately. Spurs have basically removed him from the D-League as they've seen enough from him there now.

He still needs to work on a) getting stronger b) not having tunnel vision and c) tighten up his handles, but with his size, length and speed, along with 3-point and in-between game, literally looks like a definite starter as possible all-star caliber guard to pare with Kawhi going forward. I've seen all of his pro games thus far and his improvement has been impressive to say the least.

I honestly expected him to be in the D-League all year, but when they waived Laprovittola, I should have realized something was up. The Spurs are basically gushing about this kid.

Should have been top 10 IMO. I saw him live against USC and he showed flashes of elite potential. I don't know why you expected him to be a d-league player and I honestly think no one here watched a single game with him because any time I would tell people he was ready now with his speed and defense, I would get a -- "well this guys says he's raw." Don't take someone's word and go watch the players yourself. And if you aren't good at evaluating with your eyes, why are you trying to guess? You're trying to see how their ability to move (with and without the ball) and their ability to to understand the game. That's how they translate. A lot of these players are misjudged as "raw" because they don't always use their best moves. The ones that don't get labeled like that either have one major skill that can translate or they're constantly trying to show off with flashy moves. Flashy moves get you drafted.

[Chuck Everett]

So this kid was a steal. I saw the highlights and stuff in college, but his actual end to end speed is what's impressive and unlike Jamal Crawford, he is being coached out of his bad habits immediately. Spurs have basically removed him from the D-League as they've seen enough from him there now.

He still needs to work on a) getting stronger b) not having tunnel vision and c) tighten up his handles, but with his size, length and speed, along with 3-point and in-between game, literally looks like a definite starter as possible all-star caliber guard to pare with Kawhi going forward. I've seen all of his pro games thus far and his improvement has been impressive to say the least.

I honestly expected him to be in the D-League all year, but when they waived Laprovittola, I should have realized something was up. The Spurs are basically gushing about this kid.

Should have been top 10 IMO. I saw him live against USC and he showed flashes of elite potential. I don't know why you expected him to be a d-league player and I honestly think no one here watched a single game with him because any time I would tell people he was ready now with his speed and defense, I would get a -- "well this guys says he's raw." Don't take someone's word and go watch the players yourself. And if you aren't good at evaluating with your eyes, why are you trying to guess? You're trying to see how their ability to move (with and without the ball) and their ability to to understand the game. That's how they translate. A lot of these players are misjudged as "raw" because they don't always use their best moves. The ones that don't get labeled like that either have one major skill that can translate or they're constantly trying to show off with flashy moves. Flashy moves get you drafted.

As far as the D-League goes, I just didn't expect him to get many minutes with the main club because with the exception of Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs rarely play their rookie players any type of real minutes (Cory Joseph, Kyle Anderson, Gary Neal, Davis Bertans, Jonathon Simmons, Aaron Baynes, Boban Marjanovic). This kid is beginning to graduate beyond garbage time minutes.

So it wasn't that I thought he was a D-League player, but the Spurs development actually uses their D-League team to improve their draft picks, when minutes are not available over veteran players. The only one in the last six years who hasn't gone to the D-League is Kawhi Leonard and we all know why. He was simply too good not to be in their rotation from Day One.