Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray isn’t shying away from criticism, or the high expectations fans have of him. Murray knew that would come along with signing a maximum contract.
“I’m totally ready for it,” Murray said. “That’s why I literally signed up for it.”
Murray has had a somewhat down season, especially compared to last year. His stats are down, but only slightly, across the board. What’s been different for Murray this year is inconsistency within game. The veteran guard regularly starts out poorly, before a big second-half push allows him to finish with a solid game.
His level of play this season is something Murray knows isn’t reaching the bar he’s previously set.
“I think I deserve it, to a certain extent,” Murray said about extra scrutiny after signing his max extension. “So, I’m not gonna complain about it. And that’s what people do. They’re gonna talk about what they see. And if they don’t see me performing the way they want me to perform as a fan, they’re gonna let me hear it, or tweet about it or whatever they’re doing. I mean, I admit I haven’t been playing well. So, it’s not like it’s a surprise to me to hear it from everybody else if I’m saying it as well.”