Dejounte Murray enjoyed the favors of his former franchise on the occasion of his first game back at the AT&T Center under the colors of the Hawks. A clip in tribute to his five seasons in San Antonio was released and the fans also cheered him on.
“I feel like that’s how it was supposed to be”, he said after the meeting. “At the end of the day, we only showed love, on both sides. I was just excited to be back here in the city, playing basketball, and trying to win. There were a lot of emotions when we arrived, but more excitement than emotion. I’m not one to cry. We played them at home not too long ago, but it’s really different coming to San Antonio. It was great to see people again that I hadn’t seen in Atlanta, as well as the fans. I will always be grateful to them.”
More positive than negative
To definitively draw a line under his sometimes clumsy and ambivalent statements about Spurs and Tony Parker, Dejounte Murray once again wanted to clarify his position, recalling all the affection he could have for the franchise which gave him his chance. .
“I am forever grateful. The fans, for the most part, have believed in me since I arrived here at the age of 19. I love them because they gave me an opportunity at a time when no one else did”, he addedalso taking the time to salute Gregg Popovich’s influence on his rise to prominence. “A lot of people won’t understand the relationship we have for each other. It has nothing to do with basketball. It’s just us as men. We got on really well…and that’s something that will last forever.”
As for his critical comments in Stephen Jackson’s podcast or on social media, Dejounte Murray does not want to withdraw them, simply explaining that they are answers “in emotion”.
“My truth is my experience, and it’s different from any other person and any player in this league” he explains thus. “The important thing is that in the end I took more positives than negatives from this situation (playing with Spurs). »
Unfortunately for him, his evening will have been spoiled by the triumphant return of San Antonio, which, even relegated by 24 points, found the resources to go and win the victory (126-118).
Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell in good hands
In this match, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson led the charge with 29 points. Not surprising Dejounte Murray, who knows the recipe for success of his former team: work and culture of the collective.
” I’m not surprised. I’m not shocked. Devin and Keldon have worked hard. They are two youngsters who really want to improve.”he pointed out. “In the first half we played well and felt comfortable. We gave them confidence and they got a well-deserved win”.
A good player, Gregg Popovich still found a way to keep Dejounte Murray in the spotlight.
“He was a great mentor for them”he slipped. “Especially about going to dinner together and all those things that happen off the field, to try to make everyone comfortable. He is a very sociable person, so he had a very good influence on them”.
And Dejounte Murray to return the favor to his former coach.
“He’s going to teach them the game the right way. Whether the guys stay here or go somewhere else because of business, they’ll know how to play the game the right way. And they will also know how to be a good person. And at the end of the day, I think the team will get back to where it needs to be”.
| Dejounte Murray | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 38 | 9 | 43.1 | 39.1 | 70.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 3.4 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 81 | 22 | 44.3 | 26.5 | 70.9 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 8.1 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 66 | 26 | 46.2 | 36.9 | 79.8 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 10.9 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 67 | 32 | 45.3 | 31.7 | 79.1 | 0.9 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 15.7 |
| 2021-22 | SAN | 68 | 35 | 46.2 | 32.7 | 79.4 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| 2022-23 | ATL | 65 | 36 | 46.1 | 35.5 | 82.5 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| Total | 385 | 28 | 45.7 | 33.9 | 78.2 | 1.0 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 13.8 | |
