After an incredible 2020-21 season ended in the conference finals, the Hawks did not confirm followingwards, painfully qualifying for the play-in tournament and snatching their ticket once morest the Cavs of course, but that just gave them the right to get sheared in 5 by the Heat in the first round. Travis Schlenk decided that it mightn’t last any longer and therefore tried a gamble.
And this gamble is none other than Dejounte Murray, now a former San Antonio Spurs franchise-player. Definitely one of the big hits, if not THE deal of this summer, Murray, neo-All-Star, was asked by the pilot of the Texas tank to pack up in Atlanta in order to give pride of place to youth and defeats (Victor Wembanyama, all that all that…). While at the Hawks, the situation is quite different. We have to get back to winning, and much more than the 43 victories of last season. And for that, what better than a guy who was spinning 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2 steals (league-leading) average per game, and who even experienced his defloration at the All-Star Game? Three Draft rounds, a swap and a Danilo Gallinari later, Dejounte Murray is a Falcon, and frankly, the price is not at all excessive compared to the addition he can represent for the Piafs. The Seattle native comes to keep Trae Young company in the Georgia franchise’s backcourt, and maybe to sample some Magic City Lou Williams chicken wings, but that’s another story yet. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, two players and two different registers, a bit like Federer and Nadal recently. To illustrate a little, we call it a “goat-honey” backcourt, a surprising association and not necessarily obvious at first glance, but which might well wreak havoc with Hawks fans.
What complementarity with Trae Young and what role for each?
Because you know it, the two Zouaves are not really the same players. The question of the complementarity between Trae Young and Dejounte Murray already arose at the time of the trade, but in the end, it might be much stronger than we think. The two were the NBA’s third- and fourth-best passers, respectively, last season, and you’d think it would make for some funny scenes to get a JaVale McGee or Ricky Davis-style triple-double. But the latter still seem much less provided in gray matter than the two All-Stars of the Hawks, who will be able to adapt their game to the service of the team. Dejounte Murray will hide some defensive shortcomings of Trae Young. The ex Spur is taller and beefier, tema shoulder width looks like he ate a hanger the dude, and his arms are endless tah Dhalsim from Street Fighter. He will also create more space at his number 11 by carrying the ball more in sequences to the detriment of the latter. On the other hand, the simple fact of imagining Very Young being able to draw in catch and shoot causes a strong blood flow at the level of… in short, you understood. You know the Trae Young who creates his own incredible shots 11 meters from the basket and who still make a string. Now you will also know the Trae Young who will be served in an armchair by Dejounte Murray in ideal conditions for sniping. Not to mention the benefits that will also accrue to other incumbents John Collins, Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter.. Their styles of play should stick well provided all the same to make concessions in the direction of the team. But for that, Young and Murray already exchange a lot, every day to be more precise, in order to create this alchemy off the floors which can only be beneficial to those who will see themselves on the field.
In terms of spirit, Dejounte Murray will bring this bulldog mentality that Trae Young does not necessarily have (in addition to the physical aspect, but that’s another question). Having grown up in the ghettos of Seattle raised by a mother who went back and forth in prison, the “little” Dejounte Murray grew up in the ghettos, in the midst of drug trafficking and drug addicts, and doing stays himself at the penitentiary center. So the difficulty, he knows it. Spotted by Jamal Crawford, it is the latter who will get him out of this quagmire that is the drug deal to perfect the basketball player full of potential that we already saw when he was hanging out in the street. If he had channeled himself well in San Antonio, who drafted him in 2016 with the 29th choice, he seems to have regained a certain bad-boy image since he left Texas. Back in his hometown at the Seattle Pro-Am, he took care to bring his future teammates Trae Young and John Collins with him to fine-tune the automatics for the coming season. He also crossed swords with another nugget from Seattle, in the person of Paolo Banchero, the number 1 of the last Draft, selected by Orlando. During their confrontation, which turned into a kind of little Berezina. We saw a Dejounte Murray excited, ready to trashtalk Banchero at the slightest opportunity, without forgetting to send many spades by social networks interposed to the 19-year-old youngster. A big mouth coupled with a pure defensive level, that’s what the Hawks may have missed to cross this long-awaited level. The former Spurs will have to give voice and be the defensive leader of Atlanta with Clint Capela (at least while the Swiss is still in town). You know the phrase “Offense wins games, defense wins titles”? Bah Dejounte Murray will do both. You know the phrase “A rolling stone gathers no moss”? It has absolutely nothing to do with it, but we wanted to talk to you regarding it anyway.
It’s winning time in Atlanta, and the Hawks may have found the missing piece to their puzzle with Dejounte Murray. Such a profile added among others to star Trae Young, outfielder John Collins, garbage collector Clint Capela, canardeur Bogdan Bogdanovic and nuggets De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu can only do good. We will certainly have to adapt and learn to play together. However, DM5 are hungry for wins and are already in a better place than Spurs for that right now. As we say in the jargon: there’s more than that.
