Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons why Jamal Murray will be an All-Star in 2023

Lastly, we have arguably the biggest indicator of whether or not a player will make the All-Star game; team performance.

Every year, there’s at least one or two players who almost solely make the big game because their team is at or near the top of the conference. For example, the Golden State Warriors were one of the best teams in the NBA for the majority of last season, despite being without arguably their second-best player, Klay Thompson. As a result, Andrew Wiggins became an All-Star.

Let’s be honest, any other year, a player averaging just over 17 points and 4 rebounds per game would not have made the All-Star game. Even if he did have incredibly efficient scoring numbers throughout the year.

Then in 2021, Mike Conley got the nod on just over 16 points and 6 assists per game. And the year before that, Kemba Walker was a damn starter averaging just 20 points and 5 assists per game. So, then why were they All-Stars you might ask? Because the Utah Jazz held the best record in the NBA in 2021 and the Boston Celtics had one of the better records in the league in 2020.

Using these examples, another factor that could contribute to Jamal Murray being an All-Star in 2023 is if the franchise continues its upward trend, and emerges as one of the best teams in the NBA.

Last year, the Denver Nuggets finished tied with the 10th-best winning percentage in the entire league. All without two of their three best players in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Yes, the heroics of Nikola Jokic are well-documented and are the biggest contributing factor to the team’s success this past season. But there’s no doubt that the Denver Nuggets are one of the best teams in basketball when all three are on the floor together.

So, with both Porter and Murray expected to be good to go by the start of the regular season, and the continued improvement of players like Aaron Gordon, Monte Morris, and Bones Hyland. As well as whoever else they add to the rotation this offseason. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Denver Nuggets aren’t one of the better teams in the Western Conference in 2023.

Which in and of itself would thrust Jamal Murray into immediate contention for a spot in the All-Star game. Assuming he maintains his efficient scoring and averages over 20 points per game (which seems likely).