2016 Houston Rockets Draft Prospect Series: Dejounte Murray

The 2016 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday June 23rd with the Houston Rockets selecting 37th and 43rd. While the Rockets are without a first round pick given GM Daryl Morey’s tendency to orchestrate trades it would be unwise to count him out of making a deal to move up. With that Space City Scoop is featuring a Draft Prospect Series covering 60 of the top ranked prospects. Next up is Dejounte Murray

Draft Prospect:

Specifics:

Height: 6’5″
Weight: 170
Country: America, Seattle, Washington
Position: Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Age:19
Wingspan: 6′.95″
College or Pro League: Washington, Freshman
Stat line: 34 Games, 16.1 Points Per Game, 6.0 Rebounds Per Game, 4.5 Assists Per Game

Current Rank:

Please note, the rankings below come from the most up to date versions as the time of writing. That said not all the mock drafts provide second round ranks or updates often only extend to the end of the first round.

Therefore, if you check a ranking and note the number has changed it’s likely due to updates and a shift in the rankings.

ESPN Chad Ford: 10

Draft Express: 15

NBA Scott Howard Cooper: 27

Bleacher Report: 12

The Skills:

At 6’5 Washington guard Dejounte Murray offers good height but at 170 lbs he’s extremely thin. That said he demonstrates tenacity on court attacking the paint without fear of contact which affords him multiple trips to the lane. Though Washington weren’t an elite College team Murray specifically benefited as it offered him additional playing time.

He is also a complete player who can score, assist and rebounds extremely well for his size. Likewise his offensive game has versatility that will only improve as he adds size. Once the muscle is added to his frame he’ll be able to be even more aggressive in the paint with the potential to finish, and also get to the line.

He’s excellent at quarterbacking plays particularly in transition and at utilizing change of pace (something many guards don’t master until later in their careers).

Weaknesses:

As noted his size will definitely offer limitations especially against the much larger NBA opponents, but his tenacity will partially make up for it. He could offset those issues if he could extend his shot beyond the arc which currently isn’t a shot he hits with great accuracy. In fact, for as much as he finds way to get to the line his free throw percent is also well below an acceptable percentage for a point guard.

Murray is a bit of an oxymoron because he tends to make poor decisions especially in late shot clock situations. However his instincts are so great he doesn’t get burned for those decisions as much as he could.

Landing on the right team with the proper coach and training staff is essential for Murray. With an established role and system his growth should be expedited. Also a great development staff they should be able to correct his form and build his confidence in his shot.

Honors and Awards:

As per Wikipedia:

The Fit:

More from Space City Scoop

While the NBA trends toward positionless basketball finding players who can play and defend multiple positions warrant additional looks by clubs.

Though the Warriors ignited the “small ball” phase in the Association the truth is their guards have above average size. At 6’5″ Murray’s stock has risen because of these assets.

And while the Rockets could definitely use a tall versatile point guard who has play making and rebounding skills it’s unlikely Houston are anxious to add a point guard who can’t step in and contribute immediately. Nor should they be considering trading up to add a point guard who’ll need extensive time to develop his shot. Especially with D’Antoni just now implementing a new system.

If Murray had a consistent shot from range he’d be more attractive, but the likelihood is Morey will look for a proven guard who can co-exist with Harden as a starter and share the play making or keep Beverley in that role and find a guard with size like Shaun Livingston or one who can be a scoring threat like Jeremy Lin to come off the bench.

Next: Draft Prospect Guerschon Yabusele

Next: Draft Prospect Chinanu Onuaku

Next: Draft Prospect Demetrius Jackson

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