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Jamal Murray’s Career Timeline

Jamal Murray's Career Timeline
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Before becoming one of four players in NBA history with two 50-point games in a single playoff series, Jamal Murray fought to make his name.

Before scoring a combined 221 points in the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs, Jamal Murray fought to become the leader of the Denver Nuggets.

Before emerging as a leader in the NBA, Jamal Murray fought to keep a reigning SEC Champion Kentucky in the national title conversation.

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Before he stepped foot in Rupp Arena, Jamal Murray ranked 71st on the 2015 Recruiting Services Consensus Index. 

The Journey Begins

Nothing has been handed to the Kitchener, Canada, native. He started his first collegiate game as a true freshman against Albany and scored 19 points and was two assists shy of a double-double.

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Murray started the rest of Kentucky’s 36 games and scored below 11 points just once, averaging 20.0 points per game with a 45.4 field goal percentage. His performance vaulted him to get taken by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Averaging 21.5 minutes per game and seeing action in all 82 games, Murray earned a spot on the 2016-17 All-Rookie team. He earned a starting role the following season and shot 45.1%, including a 90.5% free-throw percentage that was good for fifth-best in the NBA.

During the 2018-19 season, Murray averaged 18.2 points per game and notched 20+ points in 29 games.

The Nuggets believed they had a budding 21-year-old franchise cornerstone, and they made sure to lock in a deal.

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On July 24, 2019, Murray signed a five-year $169 million contract extension to remain in Denver after he helped lead the Nuggets to a Northwest Division title for the first time in nine seasons.

The Road Ahead

The deal cemented a point guard and center duo alongside Nikola Jokic, who had signed a five-year deal of his own the previous summer, for the foreseeable future.

With stability and direction, the suspension of the 2019-20 season didn’t knock Murray off course. After a 150-day gap between game action, he produced a double-double in a seeding game against the Utah Jazz.

The two teams met again in the playoffs, and the Jazz had taken a 3-1 lead over the three-seed Nuggets.

Murray remained calm, cool, and collected and scored 109 points over three games to win the series. Denver was back in the conference-semifinals where they are tasked with taking on grizzled veteran Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now 23-years-old, Jamal Murray will be a household name for a while in the Western Conference. With his confidence and flair, he is only getting started.

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Main Credit Image: 

Embed from Getty Images

 

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