The NBA announced its All-NBA teams, and for only the second time ever, two Denver Nuggets have made the squad in the same season. Jamal Murray was named to the Third Team All-NBA, marking the first time he's earned the prestigious honor. Nikola Jokic was named to his eighth All-NBA team in a row.
The first Nuggets duo to make the All-NBA team together was Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony in the 2008-09 season, when the Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to Kobe and the Lakers. Both former Nuggets stars finished on the All-NBA Third team.
Jamal Murray's first All-NBA award was well deserved
Jamal Murray was named to the All-NBA third team, and it was a long 10-year wait for his first selection. But after a season in which Murray averaged 25.4 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, his selection to the team was well deserved, as was his first All-Star selection earlier in the year.
Murray had a career year, and every part of his game was elevated, including his shooting. Murray shot a career best 48.3% from the floor, 43.5% from three, and he set a Nuggets franchise record for made threes in a season with 245.
Nikola Jokic added to his All-NBA streak
Nikola Jokic, fresh off his second-place MVP vote, finished on the All-NBA first team for the third year in a row, and for the sixth time in the last eight years. Jokic's been on the first or second team for eight years in a row, and he continues to play at the high level that has earned him the title of Best Basketball Player in the World.
Jokic finished the season with what may have been the best statistical season that he has had. Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, leading the NBA in both rebounds and assists, a feat no player has done in the same season.
Jokic once again led the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 32.3, the second-best mark of his career, and he led the NBA in multiple advanced plus-minus categories for the sixth straight year.
Did Jamal Murray raise his trade value?
The addition of Murray to the All-NBA could have raised his trade value, given that he's just had the best season of his career. Which could be a great thing for the Nuggets if they decide to move on from the core trio of Jokic, Murray, and Aaron Gordon.
The Nuggets are likely well behind the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder for next season, and a retooling or a rebuild may be in their best interest to be more competitive moving forward.
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