Was Detroit Pistons’ Luke Kennard snubbed off FanSided 25-under-25 list?
Dejounte Murray
Dejounte Murray missed the entire 2018-19 season when he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, yet he finds himself on the list at No. 29. In his place, the San Antonio Spurs played Derrick White who seemingly played the guard position better than White did the year prior.
| Rk | Player | From | To | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dejounte Murray | 2017 | 2018 | 119 | 56 | 17.4 | 2.7 | 6.1 | .441 | 0.2 | 0.5 | .316 | 2.5 | 5.6 | .452 | .454 | 1.1 | 1.5 | .708 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 6.6 |
| 2 | Derrick White | 2018 | 2019 | 84 | 55 | 22.2 | 3.3 | 6.9 | .479 | 0.7 | 1.8 | .361 | 2.6 | 5.0 | .523 | .528 | 1.3 | 1.7 | .762 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 8.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/22/2019.
On the defensive side of the ball, Murray has much greater length and athleticism. White, on the other hand, relies less on athleticism and more on smarts. Murray, in his last year before the ACL tear, was voted All-Defensive Second Team, the youngest to ever earn the honor at the age of 21.
Macri’s rebuke of Murray is very similar to what I would’ve said myself. For why he might look stupid for including Murray at No. 29, Macri writes:
"For having too much faith in the San Antonio Spurs organization. Murray appeared in this same space a year ago, and has actually risen three spots despite tearing his ACL during training camp. Last September, he was the Next Big Thing that was still going under the radar. If that translates over, there’s a chance this is too low, but the opposite feels more likely, especially with Derrick White taking a prominent place in the San Antonio pecking order."
Related Story. Previewing Luke Kennard's 2019-20 season. light
With the introduction of White to the backcourt, one of them (very, very likely to be White) might be the odd man out when it comes to point guard duties, getting relegated to the second unit, unless the team brings Bryn Forbes off the bench. Though, I can’t see that happening as it would make the bench unit missing a reliable playmaker.
Kennard is, by no means, an All-Defense caliber defender, while Murray is, by no means, the offensive scorer that Kennard is. I can understand why Murray is on the list over a player like Kennard.
In the next few seasons, Murray could develop into a perennial All-Star caliber player. But the list is based on impact of this upcoming season. Coming off a major knee injury, it’s hard to know how Murray will look. As a fantastic guard defender, a torn ACL could limit his lateral quickness and speed.
Though, reports indicate that he should be back to form. In fact, here’s a great write-up by our friends over at AirAlamo on Murray’s current status.