Dejounte Murray ended up being one of the success stories of the 2016 NBA Draft despite many factors working against him. Murray came into the league with a history of problems, including a stint in juvenile detention. However, when you can ball out the way Dejounte can, teams will take a chance on you.
Murray fell to the 29th pick in the 2016 Draft, and the San Antonio Spurs took a chance on him. Despite players in the organization trying to hold his development back, Murray evolved into an All-Star and was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
Prior to his being drafted by the Spurs, Murray revealed that teams were going to extreme lengths to get information about him and his childhood to ensure he was worthy of being a first-round pick.
Dejounte Murray details his crazy pre-Draft process. Says teams questioned everyone, including his college janitor. pic.twitter.com/IKtkUuMYXn
— All the Smoke (@allthesmokeprod) January 24, 2023
“I worked out for 6 or 7 teams, and a majority of them promised me. Everyone was like, ‘don’t go to the combine’, Rich (Paul) was like ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to the combine,’ just from the information he had. That bothers me to this day and shows how cutthroat this business is. I was honest with them. The information they wanted to get on me, they went everywhere. They went to middle schools, high schools, janitors, juveniles, and random people. I had so many random people like, ‘yo, they came up to me.’ The janitor at U-Dub, when I made it and came back to work out, he was like, they came and asked him, ‘did he ever disrespect you? Was he mean? Was he nice?’ That’s when I realized, it’s really federal, they really investigating here.”
It all worked out for Dejounte in the end, but his experience shows that NBA teams are looking for more than just talent. Murray could’ve definitely gone higher based on his skillset and college production alone, but his off-court issues as a child definitely impacted the position he was selected in.
Will Dejounte Murray Return To All-Star Form?
Murray made his first-ever All-Star appearance last season but seems very far removed from the conversation amidst a challenging debut season with the Hawks. The team is decidedly average, and they’re still trying to figure out how to play with Trae Young and Murray in the backcourt.
He has all the talent to return to that level. His rhythm in a game gets hurt by sharing the ball with Trae, something he needs to figure out ASAP for his personal success as well as team success. As the season has gone on, Murray has improved, but it’s not nearly enough to be an All-star this season. Maybe Murray can return to that conversation in the coming years.
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