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Dejounte Murray Is Both the Spurs’ Future Point Guard and a Blank Slate
- Updated: December 2, 2016
SAN ANTONIO — The entirety of Dejounte Murray’s rookie season played out, in microcosm, during the first 15 seconds he played in his team’s loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at the AT&T Center.
The San Antonio Spurs trailed by 13 when Murray replaced Patty Mills with 3:49 remaining. Head coach Gregg Popovich ceded the win to the Magic by inserting a 20-year-old who is solely being groomed for the future and in need of all the real-time experience he can get.
Ten seconds in, Murray jabbed the ball away from Magic guard Evan Fournier. He controlled it just long enough for one dribble, then outran the ball. Trailing the play, Bismack Biyombo poked the suddenly loose orb toward the Magic bench, where Fournier corralled it and heaved a long pass downcourt to Jeff Green, who dunked it.
It was a fitting conclusion to a play that epitomized the Spurs’ frustration on their home court, where they are a shocking 4-4 after losing only once at AT&T Center last season.
The play also provided yet another lesson in patience for Murray, a slender, 6’5″ combo guard from the University of Washington. Violating one of John Wooden’s oft-quoted dictums—”Be quick, but don’t hurry”—Murray missed a chance to make a play.
The 29th overall selection of the 2016 draft, Murray’s patience will be tried all season. Yet forbearance is in his best interest.
“You’ve got to be patient,” Murray said. “Simple as that. At every level, you’ve got to work. I just learn everything: their offense, how to be a better pro. It’s my first NBA season. I’m just getting used to everything.”
When Murray fell to the Spurs on draft night—ESPN’s Chard Ford had him ranked in his top 10—some draft experts instantly dubbed him the presumed successor to Tony Parker, in spite of his youth and 34 percent shooting (28 percent from range).
“It feels like we do this every year,” ESPN’s Amin Elhassan told viewers of the network’s draft coverage. “The Spurs are picking [at No.] 28, 29, 30, and they end up with someone that everyone says, “Aw, how could you let him fall there?'”
As always, San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford tamped down expectations in the immediate aftermath of the selection.
“With the age of our team, adding a young kid with some pretty extensive athletic ability and the ability to grow, I don’t think there are expectations to come in and catch our world on fire,” Buford said about an hour after Murray was picked.
“But we like the opportunity to grow.”
Most of that growth will come in Austin, Texas, home of the NBA Development League Austin Spurs (which is owned and operated by Spurs Sports and Entertainment). Murray has already been assigned there six times, and Popovich told reporters during a presser that preceded the Spurs’ Nov. 25 game in Boston that Murray should expect many more trips up Interstate-35 to Texas’ capital city.
“He’s just really young,” Popovich said, according to the San Antonio …
