Jamal Murray showed a ton of potential in his rookie season for the Denver Nuggets. What rating should he receive in NBA 2K18?
Jamal Murray showed so much promise in his rookie season. His shooting percentages weren’t amazing at 40.4 from the floor and 33.4 from three, but the smoothness of his shooting stroke can’t be questioned. He made it clear that he has a bright offensive future in the NBA with a range of skill and touch from a variety of spots on the floor. Impressive stretches of play, like his average of 12.1 points on 42.3 percent shooting during the last 35 games of the season, have made it clear that he’s an integral part of the Denver Nuggets going forward.
With little going on in the summer right now, we have an opportunity to think about what that could mean for Murray’s player rating in the upcoming NBA 2K18 game.
In 2K17, Murray finished the season with a rating of 76. For a rookie, that’s pretty strong. Although, when considering how much ability Murray showed and the fact that some rookies will enter 2K18 with a rating of 80 before they’ve even played a game (such as franchise point guard prospects Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball), there’s definitely reason to give Murray a rating of around 78 instead.
More from Nugg Love
- Was trading Bones Hyland a mistake for the Denver Nuggets?
- Did Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets break Anthony Davis?
- Denver Nuggets stars face serious disrespect in recent NBA rankings poll
- What will it take for Denver Nuggets star to become ‘inevitable?’
- Denver Nuggets NBA Training Camp report, other preseason dates to know
There are a host of weapons in his offensive arsenal. Whether he’s running off screens at the arc to bury three-pointers, driving to the lane with his sometimes unappreciated athleticism, dropping in soft floaters, sinking his free throws (at a 88.3 percent rate) or hitting jumpers off the dribble from mid-range, Murray can do a lot already. It isn’t exactly a hot take to state that with his surgery to get healthy this summer after playing through a sports hernia last season, not to mention being a little older, Murray should have a higher rating in 2K than 76.
Sure, he needs to prove what he can do before seeing too many upgrades. But even though his defense needs work, his array of scoring tricks and off-ball movement, which is only going to get better, should get him a little closer to the 80 range. An increase from 76 to 78 seems fair.