Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray has a strong case for being the best player to never receive an All-Star Game selection. His legacy is stronger than many players who have multiple All-Star nods, with postseason performances that have etched his name in the record books.
Following an exceptional offseason, the Nuggets have gifted Murray a golden opportunity to secure the All-Star nod so many have been waiting to see him receive.
Murray, 28, is one of the best players and guards of his generation. He played definitive roles when Denver won the 2023 NBA championship and reached the 2020 Western Conference Finals, and has produced more 40-point playoff games than the likes of Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and John Havlicek.
Murray acknowledged the strange dichotomy between his postseason and regular season reputations by telling The Athletic in 2024 that he would like to receive the recognition he feels he deserves as an All-Star.
“Obviously, I would love to be an All-Star. I’d love to get that kind of recognition. But I think when you win in the playoffs, you win on the biggest stages you play and show yourself on the biggest stages and you prove yourself against those so-called All-Stars, (then it’s) whatever…”
After years of snubs, the Nuggets have granted Murray's wish for a shot at recognition by giving him everything he needs to be an All-Star in 2025-26.
Nuggets have given Jamal Murray the help to finally become an All-Star
Murray provides sufficient production as far as securing an All-Star Game appearance is concerned. He's averaged 20.9 points and 6.2 assists on .470/.404/.859 shooting over the past three seasons, and has done so on Denver teams that have finished first, second, and fourth in the Western Conference.
The difference between those seasons and the 2025-26 campaign, however, is that the Nuggets finally have the necessary depth to dominate the regular season—and thus lock in a second All-Star.
Whether fair or foul, tradition has long held that teams that are distantly ahead of the competition will get at least two players into the All-Star Game. It's a perhaps logical nod to the fact that no one player can fuel absolute dominance, no matter how great they may be.
For instance: At the time the 2025 All-Star reserves were announced, three teams had a winning percentage of .700 or better—and they all sent at least two players to the All-Star Game.
Denver, meanwhile, was seventh in the NBA in win percentage at that time. Murray inevitably found himself competing with not only co-stars, but clear-cut No. 1 players on teams with similar records for the honor of being an All-Star.
It was the latest development in a drought that can be attributed to Denver's habit of closing out seasons on a higher note than they might begin them and injuries that previously limited Murray's availability.
In 2025-26, however, the Nuggets have retooled by replacing Michael Porter Jr. with Cameron Johnson and revamping the second unit. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., DaRon Holmes II, and Jonas Valanciunas will provide a measure of depth that's been missing in recent years, thus potentially enabling Denver to join the Oklahoma City Thunder in dominating the regular season.
If Murray continues to produce at a high level and Denver is performing at the 60-win pace they're capable of, a second All-Star joining Nikola Jokic will be all but guaranteed.