With Tony Parker slowly coming towards the end of his career, the day was inevitably going to come when the San Antonio Spurs had to identify his successor and begin a passing of the torch.It appears the first sign of this came on Sunday as head coach Gregg Popovich informed the veteran that "it was time" for him to come off the bench and give up his position in the starting line up.Pop handed the starting point guard spot to youngster Dejounte Murray and he has already shown that he's ready to take over and come of age.

Opportunity

Stepping in to fill the shoes of Parker would be a difficult job for any player let alone a 21-year-old, but Murray could be the right choice for the Spurs.

He's long, athletic and competes on both ends of the floor which means he has all the tools to fit right into Popovich's system and become another star for the franchise.

It didn't take Murray long to repay the faith shown in him by his coach as he produced a historic performance in just his second start on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The young guard finished the game with a near triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and seven steals. He became just the second player in NBA history to produce these numbers in 30 minutes or less.

Fat Lever was the first to do it with 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight steals in 28 minutes in 1987.

The display was even more special as it came against his idol and mentor, LeBron James.

The pair have shared a relationship since before Murray was drafted by the Spurs with the 29th overall pick last year and the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar had some words of advice for him in regards to his new role on the team.

"Seize the opportunity," said James. "Obviously listen to Pop. He knows what the hell he's doing. Seize the opportunity and every game and every opportunity you get, just think it could be your last. That's how you don't take things for granted."

Fearless

The Washington product spent parts of the game guarding LeBron and embraced the challenge of testing himself against the best player in the world.

Popovich had no problems allowing the second-year man to take on the difficult task.

"He's going to be in those positions a lot, in those situations, and it's good for him to end a game, see how it feels," Popovich said, per ESPN.

"He made a turnover earlier, but it doesn't faze him. He just goes on to the next play. That's a great sign. He doesn't get depressed or feel bad. He just goes and plays."

His attitude fits in perfectly with the San Antonio ethos and he's in the right organisation to develop and become one of the best players in his position.

"He’s fearless, he’s not impressed. He really sets the pace for us," Popovich said. "He’s a fine defender. He’s learning how to play the game and doing a fine job.”

Murray has been credited with having a strong work ethic and he has a hunger to learn and get better every single day.

"First of all, the kid is a gym rat," said James. "He loves the game of basketball. I'm happy where he's come so far in his short career. ... He has an opportunity to go out and showcase what he's about.

"But doing it the right way, going out and working on your game and things of that nature. If you do that, the game will take care of itself."

Murray may not be as talented as other young guards in the league but he's willing to work harder than any other player and put in the hard yards to be a success in the NBA.

His numbers don't scream out at you - he's averaging just 6.7 points, 2.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds - but his impact on the floor is becoming important for a championship team.

He has a mature head on his young shoulders and even though he's taken over from Parker, he knows the hard work doesn't stop there.

"Tony Parker is a future Hall of Famer. He paid his dues, he did everything in this league, and I have a lot of work to do,” said Murray.

Coach Pop doesn't get many things wrong and it already looks like he's onto a winner again.