Jamal Murray is an All-Star for the first time in his career. He's averaging a career-high in points and assists, and he's done an incredible job proving to everyone that the Nuggets' big bet with his max contract extension is paying off.
Murray was proclaimed as one of the big winners of the 2026 season by Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." The pair mentioned how there were questions around his extension last year, with Lowe mentioning people were saying, "Did they overdo this? Was he really a max guy?"
Simmons apparently thought worse, saying he thought there was "real fear that the Jokic era had been completely blown." Murray's play has put all those fears to bed. He's actually the wingman Nikola Jokic needed.
The Nuggets took a risk and it's paying off
Jamal Murray signed his four-year, $208 million max contract extension before the start of the 2024-25 season, but it didn't take effect until this year. And he's playing like someone who got a $10 million-plus-per-year raise.
Murray's career-high points per game, 25.1, is currently the 16th-highest total in the league, and he had his third 50-point game with 52 against the Pacers in December. His 7.1 assists are 12th, and his name's been thrown around to win his first All-NBA award this year.
Murray's shooting has been near a career-best at 48% from the floor and 42% from three, connecting on a career-high 3.1 made threes per game. He's seen the highest usage rate of his career at 28.3%, while simultaneously having the most efficient year of his career, scoring a 21.8 player efficiency rating.
Murray and Jokic are a generational duo
Jokic to Murray. Murray to Jokic. Like peanut butter and jelly, or mac and cheese. One of the greatest combos of all time. And it's not hyperbole.
This season, the duo hit another level. It even caused Rich Paul to call it "insane." For assist-to-point scorer duos, Murray to Jokic leads the NBA. And fourth in the NBA is Jokic to Murray.
Their two-man game is truly insane. It rivals some of the great pairs the NBA has seen. They sit behind only Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for the most points created between teammates since 1996-97.
And both of them are happy in Denver. Both players would like to close out their careers and legacies together with the Nuggets. That kind of camaraderie amongst teammates is rare in today's sports. It's just another stamp of approval for Murray's max deal.