The sample size is obviously small, as the NBA season isn’t even two weeks old yet, but ESPN is wasting no time in releasing its ‘Way too early All-Star predictions for 10 rising NBA players’ on Monday morning, and sure enough, Jamal Murray of the Nuggets made the list.
The article points out that Murray has infamously never reached an All-Star Game in his career, despite a storied playoff career. His playoff scoring average of 23.8 points per game is higher than legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Dwyane Wade, and others. We know what he’s capable of, but he has never been able to put it together consistently in the regular season.
He has never come into camp in the best shape, and it has taken him months to ease into the season before looking close to his potential. Add that to the fact that he’s often dealing with some sort of injury or another, and it just hasn’t happened for Jamal.
I’m sure he’d much rather have the 2023 title and playoff performance in his back pocket, but still, it’s crazy to think a player as good as Murray, now 28 years old, has never even reached a single All-Star Game.
ESPN predicts Murray will reach first All-Star Game
But ESPN thinks that can finally change this season as Murray has several factors working in his favor. The first one is well within his own control. Murray is healthy and attacked this offseason with a vigor we haven’t seen before. He seemed genuinely motivated to hit the ground running and has been a leader for the team all summer.
Jamal has carried that into the season as he is off to one of his best starts ever, averaging 26 points per game and shooting nearly 40% from three so far. The fact that the Nuggets should be a very good team will also help his case. At a certain point, the elite contenders generally get multiple All-Stars.
Another new factor helping Jamal is the new format, which will feature the USA vs. the rest of the world this season. The International pool is stacked for star power, but it’s top-heavy, and the list of true star-level talents drops off pretty quickly.
That should present a great opportunity for Murray, a Canadian, to earn a bench spot for the International All-Star squad. As long as the Nuggets are one of the best teams in the West and Murray keeps lighting up the scoresheet, he should have a great chance to finally crack an All-Star team.