The Nuggets head coach reacted to his star’s snub.
The Denver Nuggets are the reigning NBA champions with a good shot a repeating this season. The Nuggets are led by their star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. While Jokic was just named to his sixth consecutive All-Star selection, Jamal Murray has never once been named to the NBA’s midseason showcase. It’s a little difficult to believe considering the fact that Murray’s consistently been one of the top guards in the West. But Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had higher praise for Jamal Murray rather than just simple All-Star as per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
“He did a lot of things in the playoffs that a lot of All-Stars will never do,” Michael Malone says of Jamal Murray. Malone says he considers Murray a superstar even if he isn’t a All-Star.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) February 3, 2024
While Nuggets head coach Michael Malone certainly has a valid point regarding Jamal Murray’s All-Star snub, it’s worth remembering that All-Star selections are regular season achievements. While Murray certainly has outperformed many of these other All-Star guards in the playoffs, it doesn’t have any bearing on All-Star selections.
That said, Murray most definitely has a case for being an All-Star this season and he had a case last season as well. This year he’s been averaging 21.2 points per game, which ties a career high, 3.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists with splits of 47.8 percent shooting from the field, 41.4 percent shooting from the three point line and 86 percent shooting from the free throw line.
Murray did not play during the 2021-22 season as he was sidelined while recovering from an ACL injury. But since his return, he’s consistently been playing at an All-Star level. He’ll have to wait until next season though to finally grab this achievement.
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