Jamal Murray poised to have a huge third season with the Nuggets

Jamal Murray took a major leap forward in his sophomore season in the NBA.

Murray’s point per game total increased in a big way reaching nearly 17 points per game, he averaged just under 10 points per game in his rookie season. It will be important for Murray to keep this positive production going as he enters his third season and a contract year.

The success of his team will have a lot of bearing on his personal success, so here is a look at what the Nuggets are up to in the off-season.

The Denver Nuggets were 46-36 last year and the organization is now attempting to use the summer of 2018 to build a team can compete for championships in the Golden State Warriors era.

The Nuggets recently signed center Nikola Jokic to five year max $147 million dollar contract making him the centerpiece of the franchise. Jokic shot almost 50% from the field last season and grabbed over 10 boards a game. They also signed Will Barton to four year 53 million dollar deal.

The Nuggets used the 14th pick in the NBA draft to select Michael Porter, Jr who was once believed a lock to be picked top 3. Injuries kept Porter Jr from playing more than a few minutes in his only season at Missouri and clearly impacted his draft position.

But, all of the tools and potential are there for him to become an excellent NBA player and possibly even an all-star. Recently the Nuggets announced that Michael Porter, Jr would not be participating in the NBA summer league.

Despite his unproven abilities there is no shortage of confidence from the rookie, here is what he had to say in an interview on the Dan Patrick show when asked if there is any player he has his sight set on playing against:

“LeBron James. I can’t wait to play the very best player in the NBA. I can’t wait to test myself against him. I’m not really one to back down from anybody, I just want to be a problem for him. Go at him and do what I can do and test myself against the very best.”

The development and durability of Michael Porter, Jr will no doubt be the catalyst for the Nuggets future going forward. Having a great scoring option should do nothing but open up more windows for Jamal Murray to do what he does best, shoot the ball.

Jamal Murray should have the opportunity to play on an improved team next season whether or not they sign any new players or not. He has proven to be durable having only missed 1 game total in his first two NBA seasons.

If he sees anywhere near the production increase he saw from last year to this season, he can expect a huge pay day in his future. Murray was one of the best scorers to ever play for Coach Calipari at Kentucky. His patented bow and arrow move have been mimicked by many since his UK days.

Here are my favorite all-time Jamal Murray plays at Kentucky and with the Nuggets.

Spoiler: Neither was a three pointer!