Dejounte Murray could help the Atlanta Hawks in a surprising way

The Atlanta Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray for his defensive abilities. They also needed to add another playmaker to the starting lineup leading them to trade for the 2022 All-Star. But there is another way the 26-year-old should be able to take some pressure off of his new teammates next season.

Murray is coming off of averaging over 20 points per game for the first time in his career while also leading the league in steals per game.

His ability to create extra possessions for the offense is not restricted to takeaways, though.

There is a good chance that the 6-foot-4 Murray could have an impact similar to Russell Westbrook from just a couple of years ago. He did, after all, finish second in the NBA with 13 triple-doubles last season.

The Atlanta Hawks could get much-needed help on the boards from Dejounte Murray

On top of the triple-doubles, Murray joined Trae Young and Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden as the only three players to average at least 21.0 points and 9.0 assists while appearing in at least 65 games during the regular season. He was the only one to also average at least 8.0 rebounds.

That should play well for a Hawks team that fell off in rebounding this past season after they ranked fifth in 2021, says Hoops Rumors Rory Maher.

“Murray has been an excellent rebounder throughout his career, and he pulled down a career-high 8.3 boards per game last season. Atlanta ranked just 20th in the league in rebounding last season, so that’s another area in which he will definitely help the team.”

Part of that drop-off was due to Clint Capela battling injuries much of the year. But he also accounted for 23% of the team’s rebounds when he was on the floor in 2021. He dropped to 20.8% this past season – enough to go from second in the league to eighth.

Murray – as well as a healthy John Collins – should help from a team rebounding aspect.

The Spurs also won more often than not when Murray was able to record a triple-double going 7-6 despite a stripped-down roster. Perhaps that roster led to some inflated numbers for Murray who saw statistical leaps from the year before in both points and assists. But the former 29th-overall pick did average 7.1 boards in 2020.

In many ways, Murray is a souped-up “glue guy”, giving the team whatever it needs when it needs it.

Only, he’s able to do it at an All-Star level.

There are many questions about how well this experiment will work. But, as Maher writes, the Hawks are well-aware of what’s ahead of them

“They know the fit isn’t seamless, and asking their new backcourt to make major adjustments when they’ve already had individual success isn’t ideal. But they’re betting that Young and Murray can make those adjustments and that the team will become a sustainable winner in part due to their efforts.

That does not come without risk, though.

“The Hawks gave themselves a timeline by trading away first-round picks with no protections. If everything clicks, they have a chance to be very good. But the clock is ticking, and the Spurs are waiting.”

Murray’s contract will expire after the 2024 season meaning the Hawks could look to extend him next summer.

That has historically been a decent motivator and could spur this group to mesh faster than expected when the season starts. And Murray has already spoken of letting team success dictate individual success.

All of this bodes well for a Hawks team eager to make a return to the Eastern Conference Finals sooner rather than later.