The San Antonio Spurs may have seen their season end in heartbreak last night when they were eliminated from the playoffs by the New Orleans Pelicans. However, being in that position ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers was an overachievement by the Spurs, and a lot of it can be credited to guard Dejounte Murray.
Murray took a leap this season and became an All-Star for the first time in his career. This is despite him not having an extremely flashy playstyle, as he is making his name known by being one of the best guard defenders in the NBA.
There are very few guards like Dejounte, who can be triple-double threats every night while also regularly delivering fantastic performances on the defensive side of the ball. Murray’s season stat line of 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals is historic, as he became only the second player in NBA history to have a 20-8-8-2 stat line after Michael Jordan.
Tough night for Dejounte. Let’s not forget he had an incredible season.
— 21.1 PPG
— 8.3 RPG (2nd among guards)
— 9.2 APG (4th in NBA)
— 2.0 SPG (1st in NBA)
— All-Star
— Spurs triple-double record
He joined MJ as the only players ever to average 20/8/8/2s in a season. pic.twitter.com/vIzcAMh3bl
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 14, 2022
Jordan’s stats on both ends of the ball are other-worldly, so there is no point in comparing Murray’s stats to his. However, it is extremely notable to see that Murray is the first guard to have achieved this in a very long time. Most guards in the NBA that play at this level don’t have the same impact on both sides.
Luka Doncic would be a guard that could have achieved this stat-line, but he is not the defensive player that Murray is and could not have 2 steals a game. Similarly, Jrue Holiday could get 2 steals a game, but wouldn’t regularly average over 8 rebounds or 8 assists like Murray has.
Living up to Jordan is something very few players can achieve. While Murray won’t become the all-around threat like MJ was, he can carve out his niche and become one of the most valuable guards in the NBA going forward.
