Nikola Jokić has been the driving force behind the Denver Nuggets’ rise, and the team’s success has mostly depended on his brilliance. A once-in-a-generation talent, he has been the fulcrum around which the entire organization has revolved, producing at legendary, historic levels.
Already considered an all-time great, he has led the Nuggets to the first championship in franchise history. However, throughout that journey, his running mate has been Jamal Murray. While individual accolades have eluded the veteran point guard, the best season of his career so far has raised the possibility of a first-ever All-Star appearance for him.
What Does Jamal Murray’s All-Star Push Mean for the Denver Nuggets?
The seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Murray has been a foundational piece for the Nuggets throughout their run. While he has not reached the same heights as Jokić, who is among the few players in NBA history to have done so, his production has been invaluable to the organization.
During their run to the NBA championship, his shot-making was sublime, as he put up stat lines comparable to Magic Johnson en route to their triumph. At the same time, he has always been labeled as a playoff riser, with his regular-season standards comparably diminished.
Due to that reputation, he has not earned many awards or accolades, including no All-Star or All-NBA selections throughout his career. But after going to war and coming out on the losing end against the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the second round of the playoffs last year, Murray has come back with a vengeance.
Averaging career highs in points (24.9), rebounds (4.4), and assists (6.8), he has been in sublime form to start the year, as the Nuggets have jumped out to a 19-6 start for the second seed in the Western Conference. With that kind of production, his impact has been impossible to ignore.
He has also been unbelievably efficient, with shooting splits of 50.1% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range on an unreal 7.1 attempts per game, all of which are also career highs for the Canadian-born superstar. Those numbers have only fueled the growing buzz around his All-Star campaign.
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As a result, he has legitimate buzz to make his first All-Star Game. But after a thrilling 128-125 victory over the Houston Rockets, he seemed nonchalant about his chances or what the honor meant for him and his career.
“I’m just gonna keep playing my game and let everybody else vote,” he said, while claiming he had “nothing” to say to voters to get him to the All-Star game. For a team that has been a contender in the West for the entirety of the 2020s, the Nuggets have not had a single other All-Star alongside their three-time MVP.
That is a testament to Jokić’s greatness, but it is also an unsustainable model for long-term success. This year, though, that might be changing for the better, as Murray continues his march and makes his case on the court.
