After helping to bring home the Denver Nuggets’ first-ever NBA championship, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have cemented themselves as one of the league’s best pairings. They recently found themselves amongst some elite company on Bleacher Report’s rankings of the NBA’s best superstar duos.
Denver’s elite duo found themselves slotted third on the list, trailing Kevin Durant and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Greg Swartz, who penned the rankings, cited Jokic as the driving force behind his decision to rank Denver so high.
“The defending champs come in third here despite Murray being the only player on the entire list (honorable mentions included) to have never been named an All-Star,” Swartz wrote. “This speaks to just how amazing Jokić has been the past few years and should continue to be.”
All-Star season expected out of Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray
However, Swartz did express excitement for what’s in store for Murray this season, explaining that he expects the Canadian to put up All-Star stats.
“We’ll undoubtedly see an All-Star campaign from Murray this season, however, as the 26-year-old isn’t coming out of the gates recovering from a major injury like last year,” Swartz continued. “Murray averaged 17.5 points on 43.7 percent shooting overall and 33.8 percent from three during his first 25 games last season, yet he ended the year with 21.5 points on 46.5/42.5 percent shooting splits over his final 40 contests. His 26.1 points per game in the playoffs helped carry Denver to the title as well.”
It is exciting to imagine what Murray will be able to accomplish in the upcoming campaign. Not only is he not easing his way back into competition after injury, but also his confidence must be at an all-time high after his impressive showing in the postseason.
Murray is definitely working to ensure he’s at his best for the Nuggets when the new season rolls around. He is reportedly sitting out of Canada’s FIBA World Cup exhibition games, keeping a keen eye on his workload.