Buy or Sell: Jamal Murray to Win NBA Finals MVP

The Denver Nuggets have advanced to the NBA Finals to take on the Miami Heat, and Jamal Murray has continued to be an integral part of their playoff run. A lot of the credit in Denver typically goes toward two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but the Nuggets wouldn’t be standing where they are now if it weren’t for the dominance that Murray’s brought to the table in the 2023 postseason. 

Murray is an excellent ball-handler and fantastic at creating shots for himself, which is why he’s been one of the league’s best scorers in the playoffs. Murray has averaged 27.7 points per game in 15 postseason contests this year. In addition, the Canadian standout has also averaged 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. He’s done a nice job of being involved at both ends of the floor, and even though he isn’t considered a high-end defender, it’s not for lack of effort.

The Kitchener, Ontario, native averages nearly 40 minutes per game in the postseason. Murray is a great fit with Jokic; they feed off one another tremendously. They both have excellent vision, and we’ve seen them each take over at different key times in the playoffs. Of course, it will be difficult for Murray to leapfrog Jokic for the NBA Finals MVP. Jokic is listed as a sizable favorite to win the award at -340, followed by Miami’s Jimmy Butler at +430. There’s a real case to be made for any of these three star talents, with other options being even bigger long shots that aren’t jumping off the page. 

Jokic is ultimately the front-runner for good reason. What he’s been doing in the 2023 playoffs is historic. In saying that, is it within the realm of possibility that Murray can put together a scoring run for the ages in the NBA Finals, with a lot of the Heat’s preparation going towards Jokic? Murray broke out as a high-end scorer during the 2020 bubble playoffs, and it’s no coincidence that the team is in their first NBA Finals with him healthy and playing confidently. Jokic is a team player, and he has no issue getting Murray heavily involved in the offense, especially if he’s shooting the lights out. As a result, there’s merit in backing Murray’s odds at +1200 to win NBA Finals MVP, which is too big of a value play to pass up. 

All odds courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.