The noise of Summer League can be deafening to the player that lets it all in. There’s so much pulling, so many voices, both internally and externally. Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray is finding a way to block it all out.

That was never more evident than in his 29-point performance in the Nuggets’ third summer league game in Las Vegas on Monday night. It had been an uneven first two games for Murray, flashes of good mixed with mistakes of inexperience and uncertainty.

Then, things went calm.

Murray, starting for the second consecutive game, tapped into the elements of his game expected to make him one of the more productive rookie players this season. He hit the 3-point shot, both in transition and in the half court. He started the game by getting into the teeth of the defense and finishing with soft floaters. He dug down on defense, coming up with a steal off of an inbounds pass and finished with a breakaway dunk.

And he showed emotion.

One of the most welcome sights of the night was his second half fire-up, going back and forth with Miami’s Damion Lee in an explosive few possessions of scoring and smack-talking. The Nuggets, by and large an even-keeled, straight-faced bunch on the court, need some of that. They need a bow-and-arrow celebration after a 3-point make. They need a player to stare down the man guarding him and dare him to step up to the challenge. Verbally. Right to his face. And then deliver the goods.

Edge is a good thing.

Murray was raised to block out the noise. He was not even allowed a cellphone until last year, his freshman year in college. So the fact that he’s able to decompress after an unsatisfactory effort and come back out swinging shouldn’t be a surprise. His basketball education has taught him to play a chest-out, confident brand of ball. A Canadian proving he’s just as good as any American player. A Kentucky Wildcat, who takes on the bravado and swagger of a UK program headed by the college king of swag, coach John Calipari.

All of this is within Murray, and it will be of great help to the Nuggets this season and in seasons to come.

Adams time to shine?

It was apparent in Game No. 2 that the Nuggets thought a lot of Josh Adams, a player really helping his professional stock in Las Vegas. That game, when Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris did not play, Adams was a big part of what the Nuggets put on the court from the point guard position. The Wyoming star has played well, showing a little bit of everything, from scoring to athleticism to running a team, and has more chances to continue to impress as the Nuggets start the tournament phase of Las Vegas Summer League.

Hernangomez impresses

Let’s just get the numbers out of the way, because they only tell part of the most interesting Nuggets story of the summer. Juancho Hernangomez is averaging 11.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7, assists and 1.0 steals per game. He’s shooting 68.8 percent from the field.

All very solid numbers.

There remains question as to whether he’ll be with the team in the fall, but if this is a basketball decision alone – which it rarely is – he’ll be with the Nuggets. He has been the most impressive of the new crop of players, showing an ability to do a lot while not being overwhelmed by the speed of these players.

Coming in, the talk about Hernangomez surrounded his ability to hit 3-point shots and a be a stretch four for the Nuggets in the future. But it is his work on the boards and in the paint that is most eye-opening. He’s physical, though his frame is slight, he has attacked the offensive glass and swept the defensive glass. He has been effective scoring in the paint. He has shown the ability to catch the ball at the top of the key, give a head fake, and then dribble drive to the basket. And he has made a couple of nice decisions as a passer.

Defensively, he shows active feet, is a good positional defender, and has stayed away from fouls. There is a lot of polish to Hernangomez’s game already, which is reminiscent of Nikola Jokic at this time last summer. There’s nothing else for him to learn back in Spain. A rookie year spent with the Nuggets, even if he isn’t playing much, is looking like the best basketball-only decision to be made.