Only 12 short months ago, nobody in the NBA universe would have been crazy enough to predict that Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay could be the guards to give the Nuggets a stellar backcourt for the next 12 years.
Denver has rolled a lucky No. 7 in the draft for the second straight time.
The Nuggets’ fondest dream came true Thursday, when Murray slipped down the draft board and fell into Denver’s lap with the seventh pick of the opening round, just as Mudiay did a year ago.
Nuggets GM Tim Connelly had Murray ranked third on his draft board, behind only Ben Simmons of Louisiana State and Brandon Ingram of Duke.
Just don’t try to tell Murray that he can be no better than No. 3 in the rookie class of 2016. Murray refused to work out in Denver prior to the draft and was ticked that six teams passed on him. Murray intends to come into training camp and win a starting job, forcing Gary Harris to the bench.
Then I asked: Are you the best player in this draft?
“Yes, I feel like I am,” Murray replied. “I’ve worked very hard to get to this point. I believe in myself. I believe I can hit any shot. I have the ultimate confidence in myself and my abilities.”
I’m not saying Murray is going to be the player who makes the Nuggets a championship contender. But I am saying there will be tears shed from Boston to Phoenix when Murray is the NBA’s rookie of the year.
How did Denver get so lucky? Well, for the second straight year, patience was a virtue for the Nuggets, and the rest of the league’s stupidity was a blessing.
Give Connelly props. When it would have been very tempting to surrender an asset such as Danilo Gallinari or Kenneth Faried in trade to move up in the first round, the Nuggets gambled they could get their man by standing firm at No. 7.
This was a dream that Connelly envisioned more than a week ago, as he casually dribbled a basketball on the team’s practice court after a morning workout for rookie prospect, by asking what proved to be a revealing question: “Who do you like among Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield and Marquese Chriss?”
It was a strong hint that the Nuggets believed at least one, if not two, of the players they coveted would be available with the seventh pick. And, sure enough, draft night began to look very promising for Denver as soon as the Boston Celtics reached for forward Jaylen Brown of Cal at No. 3. One selection later, when Phoenix decided to take on Croatian teenager Dragan Bender as a project, there was excitement in the Nuggets’ war room, because Denver was going to get its choice of at least two of three college players that Connelly had mentioned last week to me.
Desperate for shooting, Denver might have landed the most accomplished young perimeter scorer in the draft. On a talent-rich Kentucky squad, Murray averaged 20 points per game as a freshman, and Wildcats coach John Calipari has told anyone who will listen that his 6-foot-4 combo guard will lead all NBA rookies in scoring next season.
Murray envisions himself as a point guard, so it will be up to coach Michael Malone to sort out which of his young guards directs the Denver offense. In an era when position-less basketball is all the rage, letap hope the basketball is big enough for Mudiay and Murray to share.
“Never been to Denver, other than a connecting flight,” Murray admitted to reporters covering the draft in New York.
So welcome to a fair city, Mr. Murray. Here’s one hint: Don’t take the A-Line to downtown when you land at the airport. Why? At 40 percent, you might be more reliable from 3-point range than that commuter train is at arriving on time. But, otherwise, you will love Denver.
“I always believe I’m the best player. And when a team really sees the No. 1 choice, like Denver did, then I just want to play for them more,” Murray said.
Sometimes you get lucky. During the next decade, NBA teams from Boston to Sacramento will regret passing on Murray and Mudiay.
Maybe, after years of suffering, the Nuggets’ luck is beginning to turn.
