After Kawhi Leonard's departure, the San Antonio Spurs have gone through a drastic drop-off from their usual deep playoff runs. RC Buford and the organization has decided to bolster their squad by drafting young individuals that have massive upside. It's a hit-or-miss approach for any front office honcho, but one jackpot for the Spurs is Dejounte Murray.

Murray, who played one season at the University of Washington, was not even highly-touted entering the 2016 draft as he was selected at No.29. His progression has not been fast compared to other budding stars like Ja Morant or Trae Young, but he possesses a different kind of skill set compared to them. Murray is known as a lockdown defender because of his huge frame for his position. Pairing him up with Derrick White in the Spurs backcourt demoralizes the rhythm of several top-tier guards in the league.

Murray's steal rate last season was already above average at 1.5 steals per game, but he is now currently tallying a whopping 2.2 steals per game. He could possibly sustain this because of his track record and tenacity on that side of the floor. Murray also has the talent to just contain guards by staying in front of them all throughout the possession, forcing them to chuck a low percentage shot at the end of the clock.

As Murray continues to prove his defensive prowess, his vision as a floor general has drastically increased over the last few seasons. In his rookie season, he averaged just 1.3 assists per game, but that has now ascended to 8.8 assists so far in the 2021-22 campaign. The Spurs are comprised of a majority of youngsters who are still finding their niche in the league, and Murray's ability to find them open looks ould dramatically increase their confidence.

In their exciting matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, Gregg Popovich repeatedly called a pick-and-roll play featuring Murray and Jakob Poeltl because the Lakers could not prevent them from scoring buckets. Even with his subpar outside shooting, Murray could still snake dribble his way through the lane, attempt a mid-range jumper, or dish it to his four other teammates on the court. He has a methodical style of play along with an excellent basketball IQ, which is terrific for a 25-year old point guard.

With the lack of scoring firepower in San Antonio, he has also increased his scoring average from 15.7 to 17.8 points per game. He's scored over 20 points in the Spurs' last three games, highlighted by their victory over the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks. He has shown the potential to further increase his scoring production as the Spurs plan to replicate or even exceed their play-in appearance last season. As the strength of their other key cogs is not in the scoring department, Murray must assert himself and manufacture shots for himself as well.

Murray is also a phenomenal, underrated rebounder for his position. His 8.5 rebounds per game stand third in the league behind superstars Russell Westbrook and Luka Doncic. That rebounding prowess could ignite San Antonio's transition attack, with Murray grabbing defensive boards and racing the ball up the floor himself to seek out scoring opportunities early in the shot clock.

With his size and stature, Murray cannot be pushed around easily by any guard in the league, while also having the choice of switching onto some bigs in pick-and-roll situations defensively. There will be no mismatch at the post with Murray flexing his muscles in the paint and being a constant threat to knock the ball loose from the bigs.

As he is in his sixth season in the association, Murray still has the likely possibility of continuing to improve on his well-rounded repertoire. He could add a consistent three-point, so defenders will not have the choice to go under when guarding him in ball-screen action.

With a core of Murray, White, Poeltl, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Lonnie Walker IV, the future is bright for San Antonio. Despite their collective lack of experience and offensive capabilities, Murray will be a fantastic asset for the Spurs for the next decade.