But that does not suggest direct copy cats wont emerge in his wake. In reality, theres evidence that Jamal Murray– whose 40-point Game 7 topped Denvers sensational 3-1 comeback versus the L.A. Clippers– may be the closest thing weve seen. And although his Nuggets are down 0-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, his sudden mimicry of “the best shooter this league has actually ever seen” is the most essential– and unanticipated– reason they have actually gotten as far as they have.
Steph Curry indisputably accelerated a transformation throughout his very first MVP project and title keep up the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15. Since that season, defenses have adapted, lineups have shifted and coaches have okayed to a growing number of 3-point shots. Because of this, its hard to compare Curry to any gamers that have come along considering that.
Before stacking Murrays present run against what Curry performed in his 2015 postseason, here are a few caveats:
Curry IN 2015
Murray in 2020 *.
By volume, Murray hasnt been the very same type of spot-up threat (just 11.8 percent of his shots are catch-and-shoot threes right now), however off the bounce hes a Curry-esque geyser. Heres one example from a late-clock pick and roll with Nikola Jokić in which Murray gets the Clippers Ivica Zubac on a switch, then dribbles back behind the 3-point line before shooting up the stepback.
Murray isnt quite as much as that volume– almost 40 percent of his shots have actually been from the midrange and only 36 percent are hoisted from downtown– but heading into the conference finals, he was still trying 7.7 3s per game and hitting * checks notes * 49.1 percent of them. Overall, hes made 15 more threes than any other player in these playoffs.
And in 2015, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had this to say in a basic conversation about the leagues most promising shooters: “Jamal Murray is on his way to turning into one of those guys. He shoots it, catch-and-shoot, or off the dribble, like Steph.”.
Assists.
5.0.
5.0.
Rebounds.
5.0.
5.0.
Zooming in for a second, what made Curry unique in 2015 was how he could put on a dribbling clinic and then take an accurate shot. According to Second Spectrum, Curry tried 71 3s after dribbling at least 5 times during the 2015 playoffs, and his reliable field-goal portion on these shots was 71.83.
How Murray and Curry function as screeners is another intriguing point of comparison. Murray is setting 12.9 off-ball screens per 100 ownerships this postseason compared to Currys 14.5 in 2015, according to Second Spectrum. The Nuggets average 1.24 points per ownership on these plays, whereas the Warriors only generated 0.93.
Murray has a long method to precede he gets to where Curry is, however the 16 playoff video games weve seen so far have acted as quite remarkable stepping stones. Beyond the numbers, he brings jaw-dropping, throw-your-hands-up-in-frustration shots to the fore, and he makes opposing coaches grab the nearest fire extinguisher much like Curry does.
According to Second Spectrum, Murrays measured Shooter Impact (the difference in between quantified Shot Quality– which takes into account the type of shot, where it came from, how it was protected, etc– and a gamers real reliable field-goal portion) has to do with equivalent with Currys when these pull-up 3s are objected to. (When every field-goal attempt is thought about, Murrays qSI is nearly two times as high as Currys was, which recommends a drop in his precision quickly enough. However up until now, hes producing more points per shot: 1.22 to 1.19.).
Minutes.
39.3.
39.1.
Its unreasonable to expect Murray to sustain his past couple of weeks for the next 8 or 9 years– doing so would make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer– but after a routine season that was reasonably stagnant, what it does is signal what he can sooner or later be. If they want to beat the Lakers four times in their next 5 games, the Nuggets need their franchise point guard to keep up what hes been doing. But if anyone can make LeBron James flash back to previous Finals beats suffered at the hands of Currys Warriors, its Murray.
They may be two of a kind
Postseason per-game statistics for Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray
Murray doesnt make time-honored defensive principles look as old-fashioned as Curry did, however his flurry of pin-downs (particularly for Jokić), cross and back screens create their own brand of panic when sprung on a defense that isnt secured.
Another area worth thinking about is the pick and roll, where each one is a master. According to Second Spectrum, Murray passes or shoots as the ball-handler 32.8 times per championship game; on those ownerships, Denvers offense yields 1.24 points. Curry balanced 31.8 pick and rolls per video game that ended with him passing or shooting, and the Warriors likewise produced 1.24 points– another example of just how these 2 impressive runs have mirrored each other. Whether the defense blitzes, drops or changes, Murray is forcing defenses to consume whatever dish he desires to cook– similar to Curry did.
Shots.
20.9.
20.2.
Take a look at our most current NBA forecasts.
Curry was 27 in 2015, and his preliminary scene-stealing postseason came two years prior, when he assisted remove the Nuggets and then went face-to-face versus the vaunted San Antonio Spurs. Murray is only 23.
Curry never ever scored more than 40 points during those 21 championship game, but he also never dropped fewer than 18. Murray has currently reached 50 points on 2 different events, but he has likewise scored fewer than 18 five times in 16 video games.
Currys production held through 4 playoff rounds, and his Warriors won the championship. Murray and his Nuggets are currently down 0-2 in the Western Conference finals.
Curry had to take a trip and play in packed arenas. Murray does not need to take a trip and remains in a bubble.
And, most significantly, Curry had established himself as a superstar throughout the routine season, while Murrays analytical production from his 3rd to 4th year had plateaued– hes never been an All-Star, not to mentioned an MVP candidate and even the very best player on his own team.
Theres one significant difference so far: When Murray sits, the Nuggets have actually been unable to function, scoring 18.2 less points per 100 ownerships than the 114.8 they score with Murray. In 2015, the Warriors offense handled just 106.4 points per 100 possessions with Curry on the flooring– and just 3.0 points less without him.
All that stated, there are numerous similarities between Murray and Curry worth acknowledging. To start, lets look at a few per-game statistics for the 2 taken before the Western Conference finals started. Theyre almost similar.
To be a genuine carbon copy of Curry, outside shooting needs to be on par. Currys fast release and off-ball gravity blew up preconceived ideas about what was possible on the court.
According to Second Spectrum, Murray is averaging 2.75 ball screens per 100 playoff belongings. Curry set just 0.55. And, as was the case when leveraged away from the action, Denver is even more efficient on these plays than Golden State was.
According to Second Spectrum, Murrays quantified Shooter Impact (the difference between measured Shot Quality– which takes into account the type of shot, where it came from, how it was safeguarded, and so on– and a gamers real efficient field-goal portion) is about equal with Currys when these pull-up threes are objected to. During the routine season, Murray made only 32.4 percent of the 3.0 pull-up threes he attempted per video game, so its not quite reasonable to all of a sudden claim that hes Curry (who burnt the Earth during his first MVP project by striking 42.3 percent of his 4.5 pull-up 3s). How Murray and Curry function as screeners is another interesting point of comparison. Murray is setting 12.9 off-ball screens per 100 ownerships this postseason compared to Currys 14.5 in 2015, according to Second Spectrum. If anybody can make LeBron James flash back to previous Finals beats suffered at the hands of Currys Warriors, its Murray.
* Jamal Murrays stats are through the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Source: Basketball-Reference. com.
Including in Murrays first 2 games of the Western Conference finals modifications things some, however very little. Their touches, time of ownership and dribbles per touch are similar, too.
Points.
28.3.
27.1.
Throughout the routine season, Murray made only 32.4 percent of the 3.0 pull-up 3s he attempted per video game, so its not quite reasonable to unexpectedly declare that hes Curry (who scorched the Earth throughout his first MVP project by striking 42.3 percent of his 4.5 pull-up threes). However Murrays pedigree constantly suggested he had this in him. In college at Kentucky, he took 7.7 threes per game (the precise very same number he balanced through the postseasons first 2 rounds) and drilled 40.8 percent of them.
