22 wins and 35 losses, no matter how you look at it, the Spurs do not have the competitiveness of the playoffs, if there is no accident, this season's Spurs will continue to deepen their talent pool, unlike in the past, the current Spurs have found the motivation to move forward, all the roots are all due to the growth of one person, he is Dezhangtai Murray. Now it seems that Murray may not be able to lead the Spurs back to competitiveness on his own, but his step by step growth is tantamount to giving the Spurs a glimmer of hope.
With the departure of GDP, Leonard left Toronto, allowing the Spurs' 20-year system to collapse in an instant, although DeRozan's joining gave the Spurs a glimmer of hope, but the tepid state gradually made the Spurs fade out of the fans' vision. But what kind of team the Spurs are, I think everyone can't be clearer, under popovich's tutelage, the Spurs will always take the initiative in their own hands, and in this way, the stars they have cultivated by themselves have finally been proven this season.
At the 2016 draft, the 19-year-old Murray decided to participate in the NBA draft early, but due to his own lack of conditions, until the 29th pick, the Spurs finally handed over his name, this moment he finally started his NBA journey. Maybe at that moment even spurs management would not have imagined that in 6 years he would be the core of the team and be selected as an All-Star. Although he is a low-pick player, he is lucky for Murray because there is a Popovich who is the best at developing low-pick players.
In the first season, Murray played only 8 games and averaged only 3.4 points per game, and in the second season, Murray's starting appearance time increased to 48, and the score was also qualitatively improved, but just when everything was going in a good direction, the injury found the boy, and the tear of the front cruciate ligament in his right knee directly caused him to miss a whole season, and it was in the season when he was injured that the Spurs lineup changed dramatically, and Leonard's departure won the opportunity for the next Murray outbreak.
With Murray's return from injury, the Spurs era did not give him too many opportunities, the Spurs at that time still belonged to the era of Aldridge and DeRozan, but Murray's stable performance eventually allowed the Spurs to issue a 4-year, $64 million contract extension for him, in fact, in a way, the affirmation of Murray also gave him a lot of confidence, although the team was not in good shape, but Murray improved almost every year, and in this way, we finally saw Murray's transformation.
Season so far, Murray can average 20 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game, all the data looks very balanced, of which 20 points is also his career-high statistic, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game is more than most guard players, averaging 2.1 steals per game is more eye-catching, now Murray's steals have been the first in the league, if you think this is over, it is a big mistake, Murray's growth is not only reflected in the offense, his biggest change is his assists, averaging 9.3 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league, and most importantly, Murray not only has production, but also quality. After the Spurs' victory over the Pelicans, Murray has delivered 47 assists in the last four games while making only five turnovers, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 9.4. The four games were: February 5 against the Rockets, with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals and 1 turnover. Against the Cavaliers on Feb. 10, he had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 turnovers. Against the Hawks on Feb. 12, he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, 4 steals and 1 turnover. Against the Pelicans on Feb. 13, he had 31 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover. Seeing such a Murray, I don't know who comes to mind first? Xiao Feng felt like an upgraded version of the half-naked.
Although data can't determine everything, I think back to Murray's words when he was younger, but I feel very realistic: "One day in the future, I will play in the NBA All-Star Game." "Today, Murray is only 25 years old, and as his experience increases, Murray may become a better star, and for Murray, the All-Star may not be the end, but a new beginning."