One of the less-heralded storylines from this NBA season is the emergence of Dejounte Murray. The San Antonio Spurs may not make the playoffs but they have a promising future thanks to the 25-year-old point guard.
Murray does it all for the Spurs, averaging 18.8 points, 8.9 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, which all lead the team (save for rebounds, which he is second in). He leads the league in steals per game has posted seven triple-doubles so far this season. His most recent one, which came in a loss to the Houston Rockets, featured a career-high in points (32) and matched numbers that San Antonio hasn't seen since David Robinson in the 1994 season.
With his performance tonight, Dejounte Murray (32 PTS, 10 REB, 11 AST) is the first @spurs player to record 30+ PTS, 10+ REB, and 10+ AST in a game since David Robinson in 1994. pic.twitter.com/xPDrGmcqTS
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 13, 2022
Murry added three steals to the stat line and did not commit a turnover. He joined a collection of All-Stars, which includes James Harden and Nikola Jookic, in posting a 30-point triple-double without coughing the ball up.




Dejounte Murray is the first player in the @NBA this season with a 30-point triple double with ZERO turnovers & just the eight since 1987 joining James Harden, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Jokic, Baron Davis, Grant Hill, Antoine Walker, & Charles Barkley. @spurs #PorVida
— Dan Weiss (@DanWeissPBP) January 13, 2022
As Murray finds his rhythm as a lead scorer and playmaker, the Spurs' young guys can lean on him to help them develop. Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Josh Primo represent the team's future in a big way. Murray can help them by finding them open shots and taking the load off of them defensively.
San Antonio heads into 2022 with Gregg Popovich's future uncertain as he contemplates retiring. The team is 15-26 and comprises heavily of young guys on rookie contracts. There isn't much about the Spurs' future that seems certain. One thing that might be, though, is that Murray is a keeper and worth building around.