Guard Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets is an incredible player.
In the NBA playoffs’ first round, he made two game-winning shots against the Los Angeles Lakers, eliminating LeBron James and company in just five games.
On his own team, though, Murray isn’t the top player.
He would acknowledge it, as would anybody who has even casually watched a few Nuggets basketball games.
Given that Nikola Jokic is unquestionably the best player on the planet, that is a good “problem” to have. Jokic may be “Batman,” but Murray is unquestionably his “Robin.” The pair is aiming for back-to-back titles after winning their first NBA championship together last season.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Murray ranked first on ESPN’s Mike Greenberg’s list of the five greatest “Robins” in the NBA playoffs, which was released on Thursday.
Greenberg’s list is excellent, and Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, and Karl-Anthony Towns are among Murray’s notable peers.
But as of right now, Murray is just superior to the other four players. Not only did he score two buzzer-beaters in the first round, but he also defeated the Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers, and Heat in the previous season. Without Jokic, Murray very well might have won MVP honors in the NBA Finals or the Western Conference Finals.
The Nuggets will need to continue winning if they want to maintain this status. Going forward, Jamal Murray undoubtedly wants to shoot a little bit better, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about him, it’s that he’s clutch and makes shots when it matters most.