2016 NBA Mock Draft: Timothe Luwawu Breaks into the Top 10

Kentucky. Jamal Murray. 6. player. 69. <p>The Pelicans will be happy to see Murray available at sixth overall, because he could very easily be the secondary scorer New Orleans has lacked next to Anthony Davis. And given Murray’s end to the season (20.2 points on 46.7 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments), he may very well have the scoring chops to be the best shooting guard in this class.</p> <p>Murray isn’t the quickest player, but he’s incredible crafty with the ball in his hands, and he can convert well on the interior using funky acrobatic moves to overcome his relative lack of speed, meaning he’s more than just a one-dimensional jump shooter. And the Pelicans are a subpar rebounding team (24th in offensive rebounding rate), something Murray should bolster as a  solid rebounding guard. His defense can also be hidden a bit on this team; after all, Holiday has excellent size and is a decent on-ball defender, and could take the primary defensive assignment on the perimeter. This would allow Murray to sit off the ball and play center field, something that helped him post a 1.6 percent steal rate despite underwhelming anticipation on the ball. And when Murray is forced to defend on the ball? Well, it’s certainly helpful to be able to funnel opponents to Davis.</p> <p>The Pelicans and Murray are a great marriage, because he can provide scoring and rebounding from the backcourt while the roster helps cover for some of his deficiencies.</p> <p><em>To learn more about Jamal Murray, click here.</em></p>. SG