San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray waved his arms frantically in front of him like a mime trying to stop an invisible flood. That flood’s name was LeBron James, dribbling the basketball on the perimeter and looking for a way past Murray and into the paint. It was a sight to see, since James must have 40 pounds on Murray, but the young Spurs guard hardly looked intimidated. Moments later when Murray fouled James as the superstar drove to the basket, James showed no animosity but the opposite: he and Murray exchanged an enthusiastic low five. Respect all around was the message. James has been a mentor to Murray since before he arrived in the NBA. (Murray and James are Klutch Sports guys. Klutch is cool like this.)
30K In Counting, It Was A Honor To Witness Greatness Happen Big Bro!! ? @KingJames pic.twitter.com/9eDtwj0Ogf
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) January 24, 2018
Murray is one of the new-fangled NBA young guns who can do it all, a slightly smaller Ben Simmons-type who can drive to the basket ferociously and also get you steals and blocked shots on the other end. At 6’5″, he’s a tall, lightning-fast point guard who loves the big moments — as evidenced by his eagerness to switch onto James. Nobody looks like they want to be out on the floor more than Murray, who plays with the kind of energy that gets coaches up in the morning.
The Spurs beat the Cavs with a prototypical team effort, led by Murray and LaMarcus Aldridge. If there is a plus to having Kawhi Leonard come back slowly from his quad injury it is surely Murray’s increased minutes — and even more his increased scoring opportunities during those minutes. Murray finished with 19 points on 53 percent shooting, grabbing ten boards and seven steals — in 29 minutes against the Cavs.
Almost That Time Spurs Fans, Let’s Gooooo!!! ? #NIKExNBA pic.twitter.com/KCAGvDyfVP
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) September 16, 2017
