2019
Murray built on his breakout performance the year before with an even stronger 2019-20 campaign. He started for the Nuggets in all 59 of his appearances during the pandemic-shortened season, setting new career bests with averages of 18.5 points and 1.1 steals per game, as well as a 45.6 field-goal percentage. Murray rounded out his stat line with 4.8 assists (matching the career mark he set in 2018-19) and 4.0 rebounds per game, in addition to a typically-sharp 88.1 free-throw percentage. He piled up 20-plus points on 25 separate occasions, including six games with 30-plus points. On Nov. 17, Murray scored a season-high 39 points -- including a season-high seven threes -- to go with eight assists, four boards, three steals and a block against Memphis. He dropped 39 again on Jan. 4 against Washington, shooting 13-of-19 from the field and 10-for-10 from the line in the process. After missing the latter half of January with an ankle injury, Murray returned on fire. He scored 20 points in 19:55 in his first game back, Feb. 5 against Utah, and went on to average 31.3 points across the next four games. In another contest with the Jazz, Aug. 8 in the NBA's Orlando bubble, Murray set a new career high with 12 rebounds alongside 23 points and eight assists. But the Kentucky product elevated his game to an entirely new level come playoff time. Facing the Jazz once again, he blew up for 50 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in Game 4 of the first round. Murray went on to score 42 points in Game 5, then 50 again in Game 6. He delivered another 40-point game to help finish off the Clippers in the second round. All in all, Murray averaged 26.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from downtown during Denver's 19-game run to the Western Conference Finals.
2018
A 2016 first-rounder (No. 7 overall) out of the University of Kentucky, Murray's numbers have improved in each of his first three NBA seasons. In 2018-19, Murray set career-highs across the board posting 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists. On Nov. 5, Murray delivered a career-high 48 points, plus added five rebounds and four assists, during a home win over the Celtics. On Dec. 29, Murray generated 46 points, eight assists and six rebounds during a win at Phoenix. He then took his game to another level in the playoffs. In Denver's 14 postseason contests, Murray averaged 21.3 points per game. Murray poured in 34 points in both Games 3 and 4 of Denver's eventual seven-game Western Conference Semifinals loss to Portland. Murray also upped his per-game rebounding (6) and assist (5.3) totals in the Portland series. All season, Murray was money from the foul line (85 free throw percentage), shot the deep ball well (two made threes per game each of the past two seasons), and was durable. He missed six games in the middle of the season with an ankle injury, but the 6-foot-5 guard has been shelved for a mere eight games total over his first three seasons in the league.
2017
Murray built upon a solid rookie season with a breakthrough sophomore campaign. He started 80 games and averaged 31.7 minutes for a Nuggets squad that nearly qualified for the playoffs. In his second season, Murray upped his per-game averages in scoring (16.7), rebounds (3.7), assists (3.4) and threes (2.0). The ex-Kentucky Wildcat also improved his shooting percentages, registering an efficient 45.1 FG% and 37.8 3P% along with a 57.6 TS%. In addition, the former lottery pick established himself as one of the deadliest free-throw shooters in the NBA, ranking fifth in the league with a 90.5 FT%. His efforts were rewarded with an invitation to play in the league's Rising Stars game during the All-Star break, where Murray impressed with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three treys for Team World. Murray notched his second career double-double Dec. 13, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while collecting four assists and three steals in a loss to Boston. He exploded for a career-high 38 points in a victory over Phoenix on Jan. 22, making 14 of 19 shots from the field and 6 of 6 shots from the free throw line. The 6'4" guard came on strong at the end of the season, notching double-digit scoring efforts in his final 18 contests and averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds over that stretch.
2016
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Murray made an immediate impact for the Nuggets. He appeared in all 82 games, making 10 starts and averaging 21.5 minutes per game. The Canadian posted averages of 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.6 steals per contest. Murray made his NBA debut on Oct. 26 against the Pelicans and finished with one point, four rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes. Three games later (Nov. 3), he made his first NBA start in a win over the Timberwolves. Murray scored in double-figures (10 points) for the first time on Nov. 8 against the Grizzlies. Murray broke the 20-point barrier for the first time on Nov. 22 against Chicago, when he finished with 24 points, six rebounds and two assists. Murray would go on to score 23 points the next night in Utah and 20 points on Nov. 25 against the Thunder. He notched a season-high 30 points (10-of-14 FG, 8-of-8 FT), to go with five assists, four rebounds and two steals in an April 7 win over New Orleans. In the regular season finale on April 12, Murray recorded 27 points (10-of-17 FG, 4-of-5 3PT) and six assists in a win over Oklahoma City.