25-under-25: The best of the rest

32. Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs

Perhaps it’s appropriate that after 17 seasons running point for the most successful NBA franchise this century, Tony Parker picked now to find a new home.

If Parker was around next season, his shadow would still be looming over the position he successfully manned for so long. Without him, his successor will finally take the reins on a job he seems more than ready for.

On defense, Dejounte Murray is already among the best point guards in the league. With Murray on the floor, the Spurs gave up a measly 98.1 points per 100 possessions, over three points better than the league leading Celtics. Without him, their defense fell off a cliff, perhaps due to his proclivity for steals and rebounds. Last season, he became the fifth player ever — along with Russell Westbrook, Grant Hill, Larry Bird and George McGinnis — to have a steal rate over 2.5, a rebound rate over 14 and an assist rate over 20 in the same season, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He was easily the youngest to pull off the feat.

As a scorer, he’s still a work in progress, but there’s hope. With Murray on the floor, the Spurs scored most efficiently when their young guard shared the court with Manu Ginobili or Patty Mills, two guards who could shoulder some of the ball-handling load. He also largely ditched the 3, which worked wonders for Parker once upon a time. Still, 48.5 true shooting is what it is, and it’s what keeps him out of the top 25 here.

Until he learns to shoot with at least some modicum of consistency, San Antonio will have to continue being creative to generate enough points with him in the lineup. He’s only about to turn 22 though, and at a long 6-foot-5, he’s the model for the modern floor general. Considering how he handled a five-fold increase in minutes last season, Murray should be just fine.