Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray still thinks highly of Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs several months after the Western Conference franchise traded him to his current team.
Although the Spurs have been struggling mightily to win games in the 2022-23 NBA season and haven't been a serious title contender, Dejounte Murray is envisioning that San Antonio will be a force again in the league, just like it used to be during the heydays of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.
Via Jeff Garcia of KENS 5:
“Dejounte Murray says under Popovich, he going to teach the younger Spurs the right way to play the game. Murray also says he believes the Spurs organization will be back to where it needs to be.”
Dejounte Murray was sent by the Spurs to Atlanta in June 2022 along with Jock Landale in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and some rights to future draft picks. Murray used to be viewed as a future cornerstone of the Spurs, but San Antonio ultimately decided to part ways with him in 2022. During his time with the Spurs, Murray averaged 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also earned an All-Star nod in the 2021-22 NBA season during which he posted career-highs of 21.0 points and 2.0 steals per outing.
Now with the Hawks, Murray remains a huge threat on both ends of the field, with the Spurs having helped greatly in the polishing of his game in the pros.
The Spurs are on track to get one of the high picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, where they can get a major piece who could eventually lead them back to the top of the league.