Jamal Murray Gaining Momentum in the NBA Draft; Could Benefit the Celtics

http://clnsradio.com/boston-celtics-news/item/13906-boston-celtics-news-notes-6-6-16-jamal-murray-gaining-momentum-in-the-nba-draft-could-benefit-the-celtics



Boston Celtics News & Notes 6/6/16: Jamal Murray Gaining Momentum in the NBA Draft; Could Benefit the Celtics



Written by  Cory Prescott


Boston Celtics News & Notes 6/6/16: Jamal Murray Gaining Momentum in the NBA Draft; Could Benefit the Celtics



Jamal Murray's ascension and shakeup of the top-two picks would bring a high-level of intrigue to Boston's No. 3 selection.

As the countdown to the NBA Draft continues with now less than three weeks to go, teams in a perceived position of power (Sixers and Lakers) have the opportunity to posture and approach their picks in whatever fashion they would like.

Although all of the mock drafts, as well as the league-wide consensus, seem to suggest this as being a two-player draft, one freshman from an esteemed program seems to be gaining some momentum in recent days.

Able to have their pick of choice with the No. 1 selection in this year’s draft, Philadelphia is reportedly monitoring Kentucky’s Jamal Murray as a potential franchise player.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Sixers team officials will consider Murray when the night of June 23 rolls around.

“Jamal Murray, we certainly got a chance to see him a couple of weeks ago,” said Marc Eversley, Philadelphia’s vice president of player personnel. “He’s certainly going to be one of those kids who’s going to be in contention for the No. 1 pick.

“We like him a lot. He’s going to bring a lot to wherever he goes in the NBA, certainly a talent.”

Although this pales in comparison to the recent reports that suggest the Sixers will take the highly-touted Ben Simmons ‘in a landslide’ over Brandon Ingram, this added layer of intrigue certainly has an effect on the Boston Celtics.




Chris Forsberg @ESPNForsberg
Today's Butler-heavy draft workouts for the Boston Celtics.
6:58 AM - 6 Jun 2016
 32 32 Retweets   55 55 likes


Should a shake-up occur within the first two selections as either Simmons or Ingram possibly slides, the Celtics at No. 3 would benefit entirely.

Brad Stevens, a young coach with the proven ability to maximize talent and put his team in a position for success, would revel in the chance to start off fresh with talented yet raw players such as Simmons and Ingram.

The pick would also shine brighter for teams looking to trade up in the draft, and could be the means for which the Celtics get back a franchise talent. The Chicago Bulls appear set to keep Jimmy Butler in the mix in spite of a situation that seems to show the Bulls as a team in rebuild, however, would the chance to net a potential franchise player sway them to move Butler to a team like the Celtics?

Peter Yannopoulos @PeteYannopoulos
I'm hearing Canadian Jamal Murray won't got past the third pick( Boston) in this year's 2016 NBA draft. Will be a 20ppg scorer in the league
8:47 AM - 5 Jun 2016
 7 7 Retweets   3 3 likes


Murray may also be this year’s late bloomer, a player whose draft workouts and resume seem to be overlooked until the very end.

Although the lasting image of Murray was a 7-18 shooting performance (1-9 from three-point) in a second round tournament loss to Indiana, scouts believe Murray has the scoring acumen to be an impact player at the NBA level.

Listed at 6’4, Murray played one year at Kentucky with averages of 20 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 45 Percent shooting from the field, including a robust 41 Percent from deep.

If the Celtics were to indeed select the sharp-shooting Murray, it would add yet another guard to the mix, yet go towards solving their outside shooting problem.



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