Jamal Murray Is The Answer With 3rd Pick

Should the Celtics draft Jamal Murray with the third pick?

As we venture into Monday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors appear to be headed towards both the winningest overall season in NBA history and their second consecutive NBA title.

How did the Warriors build this apparent dynasty? The answer rests beyond the arc.

With splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way with scintillating shooting from deep. Golden State led the NBA by a landslide in three-point percentage (41.6 percent), three-point makes (1077), three-point makes per game (13.1), and three-point attempts per game (31.3), building an offensive juggernaut that obliterated the league with a 114.9 points per game average.

In Friday’s crucial Game 4 win in Cleveland, the Warriors connected on more three-pointers (17) than two-pointers (16), underlining the way the game has transformed into one predicated on shooting the three-ball.

Thus, should the Boston Celtics hold onto their No. 3 overall selection in the upcoming draft, that pick should be spent on Kentucky sharpshooter Jamal Murray.

Murray has the potential to become the next-best version of Curry or Thompson, holding the Celtics best chance to improve on their horrendous 33.5% conversion rate from three-point range in 2015-16, which ranked 28th in the league.

Just 19-years-old, Murray made history in his freshman season with the Wildcats. He became just the second freshman ever to knock down at least 113 three-pointers, joining Curry in exclusive territory, while becoming the first player in the history of the storied Kentucky program to make at least one three-pointer in every single game.

He shot an impressive 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, a solid statistic considering that he attempted 277 shots from deep. He undoubtedly possesses the ability to give the Celtics the spark necessary to turn them into a dangerous outside shooting team, the final key in their quest to become title contenders.

In today’s NBA, a team simply cannot make a lengthy postseason run without hitting the outside shot at a consistent rate. Seven of the eight squads remaining in the conference semifinals ranked in the top 17 in three-point percentage in the regular season. The worst three-point shooting team of the bunch, the Miami Heat, being bounced by the Toronto Raptors, who tied for fourth in the NBA with a 37 percent conversion rate from deep.

Boston needs a potent shooter to take them to the next level of contention, and Murray represents the best option available in the draft to fill that void.

Another attractive attribute about Murray is that he is not only a spot-up shooter, but a dangerous all-around scorer as well.

His 20.0 points per game average was the highest mark by a freshman in Kentucky history, and he became the first freshman Wildcat ever to score at least 30 points on three separate occasions while becoming the first Kentucky player ever to score in double figures 34 consecutive times, including a stretch on 12-straight 20-point performances.

He broke out for incredible offensive displays on multiple occasions, including a 35-point outburst against the Florida Gators in February in which he connected on an astounding eight of his 10 three-point attempts. He also showcased his potency not just from deep, but from the midrange off of the dribble and around the basket.

Murray possesses an array of finishing moves around the hoop, and has the ability to utilize his stout 6’5″, 207-pound frame to absorb contact and finish when attacking the hoop.

Although his defensive instincts and tendency to shift his body in the wrong direction when guarding opposing scorers has been questioned, his defensive effort is consistently present and his foot speed is excellent, ruling out the potential of him being a liability on that side of the ball.

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Furthermore, Murray garnered 5.2 rebounds per game with the Wildcats, showcasing his effort on the glass as well.

While the Celtics do have depth at in their backcourt, Murray has the passing skills and handles to play the point guard position as well as shooting guard, versatile enough to fill in whichever role head coach Brad Stevens has in mind for him.

Despite that his versatility may not match that of 7’1″ Croatian Dragan Bender, Murray’s game is much more tailored to NBA success than that of the 18-year-old. Bender struggled to find any consistency in playing time with Maccabi Tel Aviv this past season, even on a team which failed to qualify for the Euroleague Top 16 for the first time in squad history.

Bender’s three-point stroke pales in comparison to that of Murray’s, as he attempted just 86 three-pointers with Maccabi while converting on 36 percent of them, hampered by a long, drawn-out shooting release.

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Although his 9’3″ standing reach makes him intriguing for Boston general manager Danny Ainge, Bender garnered just 5.9 rebounds per 40 minutes while picking up 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes this past season. He displayed underwhelming timing on the boards and a tendency to reach defensively, which could make his playing time fluctuate in the NBA.

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