Ever since the departure of Kawhi Leonard in 2018, the San Antonio Spurs have been on the hunt for a franchise star to build around and lead them to the future. The team that made their money with quiet success has continued to chug along competently since they traded Leonard away, but to the eyes of the NBA, Popovich has been the true star of this team as the consensus best coach in the league.
Well, it looks like the team might have found the heir to San Antonio's tradition of quiet, homegrown stars: Dejounte Murray. Check this surprising stat from Thursday's narrow 106-107 loss to the Portland Trailblazers:
Dejounte Murray notched his third triple-double of the season tonight. The last @spurs player with that many triple-doubles in a season was David Robinson in 1993-94. pic.twitter.com/wBaU3uJNFD
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 17, 2021
In this modern age of basketball, you'd expect there to be a much higher franchise record for triple-doubles. But that's just a testament to the team-ball San Antonio has always been known for. Dejounte Murray fits right into that.
Sure, the Spurs' highest-profile player is currently DeMar DeRozan, who notched a solid 26 points himself. But the young Murray (13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) is definitely shaping up to be the next to carry the Spurs going forward. DeRozan was brought over as collateral from the deal that took Kawhi to the Toronto Raptors, and his numbers, while gaudy, haven't translated into much winning. Moreover, his contract is obscenely expensive, and it's not looking like he'll get a lucrative follow-up after it expires.
Murray, however, is already starting to set Spurs records at the tender age of 24, and to reiterate, has done so without as much as a peep. From Robinson himself, to Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, and finally to Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have had a nigh-unbroken line of quietly excellent players. Murray certainly still has a way to go, but he has increased every major counting stat year-to-year, and is currently averaging around 15, 5, and 5 in only his fourth season as a pro.
If nothing else, we know Spurs fans are just like their team: quiet and patient. If this new milestone for Dejounte Murray is any indication, they're about to get wildly rewarded for it.
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