Nugg Love
Fansided

Denver Nuggets Blueprint: Steph and Klay back court

By James Siegle

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 03: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors battle for a loose ball at Pepsi Center on February 3, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 03: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors battle for a loose ball at Pepsi Center on February 3, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Denver Nuggets are highly optimistic for the future. One reason for this? Jamal Murray and Gary Harris resemble two perennial all-stars.

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

Let’s have a look:

Jamal Murray vs. Steph Curry

Murray mimics Steph on several fronts.

Each owns a silky-smooth jumper. Steph shot 42% (ESPN) on three-pointers last year, while Murray shot 38%. (ESPN)

Curry is famous for moments of fourth-quarter brilliance. Murray has shown flashes of this same excellence. His steal and clutch free throws vs Milwaukee forced overtime in a must-win game (April 1 – Denver Post).

Murray’s competitive fire is similar to Steph’s. His troll job left Luke Walton and the Lakers in a rage. Twice. (NBA.com) 

One Curry-factor that Murray best replicates? The big-time scoring games. In 2017-2018 Curry posted 44 games with 20-plus points. Jamal tallied 28 of these performances.

No one will claim Jamal matches Steph’s stardom yet. But look for Murray to continue improving. His ceiling is sky-high, even if never at Curry-height. Murray doesn’t possess Steph’s shooting stroke, but no one in the league does. Jamal does have better athleticism, however.

Gary Harris vs. Klay Thompson:

While Murray is still miles away from Steph, Harris is inching closer to Klay’s production.

Both Harris and Thompson are highly proficient scorers, even if not the team’s first option. Klay averaged 20 points per game last season (ESPN), while Gary posted 17.5 (ESPN).

Each shoots a high clip from three-point range. Gary sank 40 percent from deep, while Klay hit 44 percent. This shooting efficiency carries over to two-point field goals as well. Both players shot 49 percent from the field.

Thompson and Harris play a consistent style…each maintaining a high scoring-average without ridiculous stat-inflating games. Klay scored over 30 points just four times last year. Gary totaled three such performances.

Thompson and Harris place clamps on opposing teams’ top scorers. Both are widely considered tough, gritty defenders.

Next. Assigning the Nuggets as Mortal Kombat characters. dark

Although Gary doesn’t yet possess Klay’s scoring impact, he is rapidly growing towards it.  Klay is better navigating off-ball screens, but Harris is the more effective basket-cutter. Thompson has more height than Harris, and a quicker release. Gary is the quicker and more athletic of the two.

Home/Nuggets News