Tonight, Dejounte Murray signed his 14th career triple-double, and he tied the franchise record held by David Robinson. With his 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, the Spurs point guard achieved his 10th triple-double of the season, and only Nikola Jokic did better this year.
Clearly, Dejounte Murray is the new “triple-double” specialist on the back lines, and for Gregg Popovich, he now has All-Star level.
“He plays All-Star basketball, and he would be in the discussion if we had a better record” explained the Spurs coach last week. “He is advancing by leaps and bounds in all sectors. As we have all already said, he is having a great season. He rebounds, he passes, he scores points. He runs the game, and does a good job. “
“I played with a lot of different point guards, and he became an All-Star level player”
Already last week, Dejounte Murray had equalized David Robinson by signing two “triple-doubles” in a row. Only the Admiral had achieved this feat in the Spurs jersey, and it dated back to 1991!
” But I’m sure he finished with two wins.” he reacted, disappointed that his triple-doubles did not translate into success. “We play first to win, but we also play to create our own legacy. I’m grateful to have this opportunity to be in the NBA and play in such a powerful franchise. “
Successor to Tony Parker as director of the Spurs game, Dejounte Murray is now one of the best players in his position. He is the best interceptor in the NBA, and ranks in the Top 5 of the best passers. It appears in the Top 30 of five different statistical categories!
” His stats are insane” loose Jakob Poeltl, while Doug McDermott finds that his playmaker « evolves like in a video game right now“. ” I played with a lot of different point guards, and he became an All-Star level player” continues Doug McDermott. ” He is an altruistic player who keeps getting better and better. It’s a chance to have him with us.“
“We have a slew of point guards who first think of scoring. I want guys to like playing with me”
Unlike other triple-double specialists, Dejounte Murray does not give the impression of monopolizing the ball and he does not let go of the ball only when he is under pressure. He behaves like a real playmaker, and his teammates appreciate this attitude.
“They really put us in rhythm with their passes” confirms Jakob Poeltl. “The good thing about him is that when they prevent him from making passes, he can go to the circle. Facing him, the defense must make a choice. “
For Dejounte Murray, it’s important, as a playmaker, to look for the pass first. ” I pride myself on being a pass-first player when I know I can score and take shots. I think that’s rare in the current NBA. We have a slew of point guards who first think of scoring. I want guys to like playing with me.“
Words confirmed by Doc Rivers, who has just crossed paths with Spurs. “He made the choice to lead the team, then to score. There aren’t many like that in this generation. “
For Gregg Popovich, that selflessness is key to Spurs’ game. “When you make passes, it becomes contagious. It makes the game easier for everyone. In this sense, it sets the tone”. All that remains is to turn that selflessness into victories for Murray to become All-Star. Not since LaMarcus Aldridge in 2019 has that happened to a Spur.
| Dejounte Murray | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | 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 | 42 | 34 | 44.9 | 32.2 | 73.0 | 1.3 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 19.3 |
| Total | 294 | 25 | 45.1 | 32.9 | 75.2 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 11.5 | |
