How Many Years Did Jamal Murray Play at Kentucky?

Hey there! If you‘re a basketball fan, you probably know Jamal Murray as the young scoring machine for the Denver Nuggets. But before he was lighting it up in the NBA, Murray had a phenomenal freshman season playing for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2015-2016. Let‘s take a deep dive into his college career.

One Phenomenal Season

Murray played only one season at Kentucky under head coach John Calipari before declaring for the NBA draft. But oh, what a season it was!

As a freshman, Murray started all 36 games for the star-studded Wildcats squad that included future NBA players like De‘Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo. He averaged 20 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1 steal per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 40.8% from downtown.

Let‘s look at some of Murray‘s sick stats from his freshman season at Kentucky:

• Scored 30+ points 8 times with a season-high of 35 points
• Scored 20+ points in 22 games
• 7.7 three-point attempts per game
• 45.4% FG, 40.8% from three
• 20 double-digit scoring games in a row
• Only player in program history to begin career with 20 straight double-digit scoring games

"Jamal is a special player. He can shoot, he can drive and he competes," Coach Calipari said during the season.

Accolades and Achievements

With those video game numbers, it‘s no surprise Murray racked up a ton of accolades in his lone college season:

• SEC All-Freshman team
• SEC Tournament MVP after averaging 19.3 points in the tournament
• Consensus second-team All-American
• No. 2 freshman scorer in Kentucky history with 720 total points
• Named one of the top 50 most iconic athletes in Kentucky basketball history as a freshman!

Murray was instrumental in helping the team go 26-9 overall and 13-5 in SEC play. The Wildcats won the SEC Tournament Championship and reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament with Murray leading the way.

NBA Draft After Freshman Year

After that incredible freshman campaign, Murray decided to test the NBA waters. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

"Jamal made every shot here. If he missed, I was surprised," Coach Calipari said after Murray declared for the draft.

Murray became the 7th player under Coach Calipari to get drafted in the 1st round, showing how successful Calipari has been at developing NBA talent.

Some other notable Calipari draft picks include:

• Anthony Davis (1st overall)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (1st overall)
• John Wall (1st overall)
• Devin Booker (13th overall)

"I learned a lot this year playing for Coach Cal and the staff at Kentucky," Murray said. "I grew as a player and a person."

The Kentucky Basketball Factory

How has Kentucky under Coach Calipari turned into such an NBA draft factory? There are a few key reasons:

• Recruiting – Calipari annually hauls in one of the top recruiting classes packed with 5-star talent like Murray.

• Competition– Playing in the SEC against schools like Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee prepares players for the rigors of the NBA.

• Exposure – Kentucky players contend for championships and get tons of national media coverage.

• Facilities & Training – Kentucky invests millions into state-of-the-art facilities and training to develop players.

• Fan Support – The Wildcats play home games at Rupp Arena in front of over 20,000 rabid fans.

This environment enabled Murray to quickly transition from an overlooked 3-star recruit to a lottery pick after just one season at Kentucky.

The Bottom Line

To wrap it all up:

• Jamal Murray played just one season at Kentucky in 2015-2016
• He averaged 20 points per game and was one of the top freshmen in the country
• Murray helped lead Kentucky to an SEC Championship that year
• He declared for the NBA draft after his freshman season and was picked 7th overall
• Murray became the latest NBA lottery pick produced by Coach Calipari at Kentucky

So in just one year, Murray went from unheralded recruit to SEC star to NBA draft lottery selection – pretty incredible! Let me know if you need anything else on Murray‘s time as a Wildcat.