2016 NBA Draft: Is Dejounte Murray ready for the next level?

Dejounte Murray will leave Washington to enter the 2016 NBA Draft after a single college season and could serve as a wildcard on draft night.

Before arriving at Washington, Dejounte Murray was not projected to be a one-and-done prospect. He was the 49th recruit in ESPN’s top 100 rankings for the class of 2015 and he was a four-star talent with offers from a majority of the Pac-12 Conference (not Arizona).

Murray launched himself into the draft conversation with an impressive freshman campaign. He scored 16.1 points per game, grabbed six rebounds per game and dished out 4.4 assists per game. Murray tends to turn the ball over a lot and makes some poor decisions, but he is definitely an intriguing prospect because of his size, tools and athleticism.

School: Washington

Position: PG/SG

Age at NBA Draft: 19

Height: 6’5” Weight: 170 lbs

Projected Range: Mid to Late First Round

High End Projection: Late Lottery

Low End Projection: Late First Round

Player Comparison: Jamal Crawford

Draft Status: Declared, hiring agent, invited to draft combine

Player Profile: Murray is a combo guard with a great length and explosiveness. If he is able to walk in to a situation where he can develop as a point guard, Murray would have a bright future ahead of him.

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At 6’5”, he would be one of the taller starting guards in the NBA and would surely be a nightmare on defense with his 6’10” wingspan. Murray led his team in steals this past season, but needs to become more efficient with the ball to find success in the NBA.

Murray’s shooting percentages are pretty poor for either guard position and he has a tendency to turn the ball over too much.

Murray has already declared for the draft and will hire an agent, ending his college career.

Team Fit: With only one season under his belt, it is hard to profile Murray as a certain type of player in the league. Could he be a full-fledged starting guard? Maybe. He could also be relegated to a bench role where he is asked to add a scoring punch when the offense gets stagnant.

Murray may struggle with turnovers and the speed of the game at first, but that is common amongst young guards.

One team Murray should be able to find a role with is the Memphis Grizzlies, who look to hold the number 17 overall pick. Mike Conley is a free agent this offseason and is far from committed to staying in Memphis.

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In addition, the Grizzlies have very little talent on the depth chart at either guard position. If Conley stays, Memphis could add some depth as this aging squad looks to stay in playoff contention.

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