Raptors know what’s coming with Murray
Kitchener-raised No. 7 pick hits town with Nuggets on limited duty — for now
The NBA hasn’t seen what Jamal Murray can do yet, but Cory Joseph has no problem telling his Toronto Raptors teammates what he knows.
“I know his game, so when he gets out there I’ll tell the guys what to watch out for, how talented he is,” Joseph said on Sunday, while Murray and the Denver Nuggets were making their way to Toronto. Three games into the season, Murray, who grew up in Kitchener, will make his first Toronto appearance as a pro on Monday night.
Joseph had a front-row seat to what Murray, now 19, is capable of at the Pan Am Games last summer in Toronto. Joseph was courtside while Murray ran the offence for Canada, leading the country to a silver-medal finish.
And like many Canadians, Joseph watched Murray shine last year at Kentucky, where he averaged 20 points, five rebounds and at least a few archer gestures on made threes, all of which convinced the Nuggets to snag him with the seventh overall pick in June.
“Obviously he can shoot the ball really well,” Joseph said. “The preseason game we played him he played really good, especially down the stretch of the game. He’s getting a little bit more adjusted to the NBA game, and I feel like as he gets more adjusted people will see the talented kid that he is. Hopefully he’s not that talented (Monday).”
Joseph said he and Murray spoke in the summer and when the Raptors met the Nuggets in Calgary for that pre-season game.
“I know how crazy it probably is for him right now, because I can remember my first time coming to Toronto. So we’ll probably talk. I’ll catch up with him after the game,” Joseph said, “if we win.”
After starring at every level he’s played at, Murray’s transition to the pros likely isn’t going fast enough for him. He’s played 25 minutes total and has one point, while shooting 0-for-4 from the field.
“It’s pretty hard. It takes time to adjust and settle down,” Joseph said of his rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs. “(The NBA is) a lot faster, the shot clock change, the game’s a lot faster. It’s just tough. (It’s) physical, bigger, guys are smarter. It’s a tough adjustment at first, but as you go along with the season, with how talented he is, I’m sure he’ll come along quickly.”
Raptors coach Dwane Casey sees a bright future for Murray.
“He’s a very intelligent kid. He’s gonna be a nice young player also,” he said of Murray.
“His speed with the basketball, his ability to shoot the ball. Once he understands the speed of the game, angles, personnel and understands the league after he goes through it a couple times, he’s gonna be a really, really effective player for Denver.”
Murray isn’t the focus of the game plan quite yet.
Casey is paying the most attention to the Nuggets’ big men, Serbian centre Nikola Jokic and seven-footer, Jusuf Nurkic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Combined, they’re averaging 31.5 points and 23 rebounds a game so far.
“That’s gonna be the story for (Monday) night: Who wins the boards?” Casey said. “People looked at them last year and said, ‘How’d you lose to them twice?’ But they’re a very talented, skilled team that I think is underrated just because they’re so young.”