Will Barton believes that his former teammate Jamal Murray will step up his game once situations matter come postseason time.
In an interview with Michael Grange of SportsNet, the newly-signed member of the Toronto Raptors expressed his confidence that Murray will shrug off the anxiety in him and perform with excitement as he hits the playoff stage soon.
“I know he’s anxious to get back to the playoffs,” Barton said. “The regular season is just tune up for him to get his confidence back, and I know once he gets to the playoffs he’ll make that leap. He’s so competitive – that’s what I love about him, he competes at such a high level, and he loves the bright lights. That’s one guy they won’t have to worry about, because he’s going to perform.”
Murray notably made headlines on the Denver Nuggets’ NBA Bubble playoff run in the last 2019-2020 season, carrying the club to crunch time with his elite scoring arsenal and clutch shot-making.
As such, it would be thrilling for the combo guard to be back in the playoffs this year, as he missed the last two for the Nuggets after a lengthy ACL recovery.
In his return to the game this season, Murray is averaging 20.2 points and 6.0 assists while shooting over 45 percent from the field. As the Nuggets hold the top helm of the Western Conference, he is expected to perform mightily in the postseason as their primary three-level offensive weapon.
