Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters on Thursday that he connected Jamal Murray with Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul last summer.
Malone wanted Murray to learn from Paul about what it takes to be a leader in the NBA.
Fascinating from Michael Malone. He said he got Jamal Murray and Chris Paul together in the summer so Murray could learn from him about leadership.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) September 17, 2020
Whatever Chris Paul taught Jamal Murray clearly worked, as the Nuggets point guard has guided his team to the 2020 Western Conference Finals after the team trailed 3-1 in the first and second rounds against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.
Entering the conference finals against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, Murray is averaging 27.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 49.1 percent from beyond the arc and 91.3 percent from the free-throw line.
For the Nuggets to upset the Lakers, Murray will have to continue his superstar play, as will Denver center Nikola Jokic. The Lakers are without question a different animal than the Clippers, as they have two of the best half-court scorers in the game in Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Whatever happens against the Lakers, Murray and the Nuggets should be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished thus far in the bubble games at Walt Disney World. Denver is the only team in NBA history to erase not one, but two 3-1 series deficits in the postseason.
That is an amazing accomplishment for the Nuggets, who weren't picked by many pundits to reach the conference finals when the playoffs began in Orlando.
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