Jamal Murray Shines in Draft Workout

Jamal Murray is an even stronger option for the Celtics after his workout

The Philadelphia 76ers are very high on Jamal Murray, which could help initiate a trade between them and the Boston Celtics for the third pick in the draft. Even if the Celtics keep the third pick, Jamal Murray is a very strong option with the third pick after his workout with the Celtics the other day.

Murray showed off his shooting ability by hitting a workout record 79 threes on 100 tries.

Jamal Murray said he set record with 3's here in Boston -- hit 79 out of 100.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 8, 2016

That would be considered good if those were free-throws or two-point shots, but it’s out of this world when considering he did all his work from behind the arc. While the Celtics knew Murray was a great three-point shooter – shot 40.8 percent from three as a freshman – this was uncanny.

It should give the Celtics a lot of confidence that he’d be able to adjust to the NBA three-point line with ease and make an instant impact. Boston is in need of a three-point specialist and Murray could be the best option – possibly better than Buddy Hield.

Sure, he was basically doing catch-and-shoot scenarios or spotting up with no one guarding him, however, he proved he could knock down shots with a hand in his face while at Kentucky. Also, open threes in transition is a big part of the Celtics game plan.

It’s going to be hard for any new back court addition to find minutes in the deep Celtics ‘ lineup, however, Murray is seen as one of the few players who can break into it. The reason is because he’s more than just a sharpshooter.

Murray adds versatility to any lineup because he can play both guard positions. At 6’5″ and 207 pounds, he’d give the Celtics better size than their use to at either spot.

He didn’t play a lot at the point guard spot because of Tyler Ulis, although he came into Kentucky listed as a point guard. It would be very beneficial to have a guard who can play both the point and off-the-ball. It would allow Isaiah Thomas to play off-the-ball more or give the Celtics another option off the bench at the point besides Marcus Smart.

Even though Murray impressed at his draft workout doesn’t mean the Celtics will draft him, or that he’d crack the rotation right away. Boston knew about his great outside shooting but they’re waiting to see if he can create shots for himself and his defensive ability as a rookie.

He was mostly a catch-and-shoot player at Kentucky as a freshman. He has the size and explosiveness to get to the basket, however, he isn’t the best at creating space. The Celtics would love to add another catch-and-shoot player to their lineup, but not being able to create shots effectively would hurt his potential as a point guard.

Not to mention it would be a risk to play him alongside Thomas if he proves his defense isn’t NBA-ready yet. Avery Bradley and Smart do a lot of work on defense because of Thomas’ height, and even Evan Turner isn’t a bad defender. The Celtics don’t need an NBA All-Defensive Team member next to Thomas, but they can’t have a liability out there.

Playing time next season would come down to Terry Rozier and Murray. Rozier showed potential as a rookie but Murray’s shooting would help the team a lot more if his defense is ready. Also, Murray averaged an impressive 5.2 rebounds per game with Kentucky, so Rozier’s rebounding isn’t irreplaceable.

Murray wouldn’t be coming into Boston with lack of confidence either, and would be eager to try to win a spot in the rotation.

When asked if he views himself as the best player in the draft, he told reporters, “I think so. That’s not a knock on anybody, I’m just looking back on the work I’ve put in, how far I’ve come, how quickly I learn, how quickly I adapt to my surroundings and how easy I fit into a team. I believe I’m the best player in the draft, but every team needs what they need.”

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Whether you believe Murray is the best player in the draft is irrelevant, but you have to love his confidence. A hard-working player who believes he can be great is what every team wants from incoming rookies. Some rookies have the tendency to play timid and over think so they don’t make mistakes, and it ends up hurting the team and their confidence if they play poorly.

As far as improving and looking back on how he adapted to the college game, it’s promising to think he’ll adapt to the NBA speed and style of play quickly. Murray did struggle early in the season as he averaged 19 points per game on 38.3 percent shooting in December. However, he averaged a ridiculous 26.4 points per contest in February and shot 50.7 percent from the field and a ridiculous 48.6 percent from three in eight games.

It took him a little while to get going but once he did he was Kentucky’s go-to player and was a main reason why they turned their season around.

Next: Front Court Options For the Celtics

The Celtics are in need of a bigger body in their back court and a sharpshooter. Jamal Murray fits both of those quotas, the question is whether the Celtics believe they have a spot for him in the rotation next season and how they view his defense. There are many options for the Celtics at the third spot, however, Jamal Murray has to be very high on their list.

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