Dejounte Murray is getting to be way too exciting for the Spurs. They didn’t get to where they are today by being all flashy and fun. They did it with FUNDAMENTALS. They did it by shooting CORNER THREES. They didn’t grab rebounds and then run as fast as they could down the court so they could finish a tough layup. And they sure as heck didn’t dunk it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Also, they usually looked at the rim while shooting layups instead of just throwing it blindly at the rim. Murray, do you have your notebook out? Because you really should be taking notes.
What I’m saying is, he needs to chill. Otherwise, boring, fundamental players like LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl will start to feel uneasy, maybe start to feel that their play style is unappreciated, and then they’ll start playing fast as well. And before you know it, the whole team is running around jacking shots like they’re the seven-seconds-or-less Suns. And we know how that team ended up. Good, but not quite championship caliber.
If they need to, I’m sure the Spurs can organize an intervention with Tim Duncan as the main intervenor. He’s basically an assistant coach, right? Just organize a nice relaxed meeting with Murray over a classy but simple breakfast at some tony San Antonio brunch place and tell him gently that playing with so much energy isn’t really the Spurs way. And Duncan can offer anecdotes about how himself used to struggle with youthful exuberance like the time he laughed at Joey Crawford and got ejected.