The Denver Nuggets have been one of the NBA’s best teams this season, currently sitting in second place in the Western Conference with a 28-13 record. The crazy part? The team has only played ten games with a full-strength lineup. Luckily, though, the Nuggets have arguably the NBA’s best top duo in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jokic has missed Denver’s last nine games with a knee injury, but he is putting together a historic season. Jokic already has three MVPs and has been the runner-up for the award twice, and if he returns from his injury soon enough, he will be on his way to another unanimous top-two finish. While Jokic is incredible, has the front office let him down by never surrounding him with an All-Star teammate?
Jokic is arguably the best player in league history to never have an All-Star teammate, but that is likely to change this season. For the first time since the 2009-10 season, when Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were both honored, the Nuggets could have two players named to the NBA All-Star Game, as Murray is on pace to earn the first All-Star nod of his nine-year career.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps released his All-Star predictions, and he slotted Murray into the “reserve locks” category, claiming that the Nuggets star has already done enough to secure his spot in the esteemed game.
Jamal Murray should be a 𝑳𝑶𝑪𝑲 for the All-Star team, @TimBontemps says 🔒 #JamAllStar🌟
🔗 https://t.co/Ela9LlWoHN pic.twitter.com/vkmbSGuOBB
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) January 14, 2026Is Jamal Murray a lock for the All-Star Game?
Really, it would be hard to say that Murray is a lock for the All-Star Game, but then, if you look at the competition, you would likely agree with Bontemps. Not only has Murray taken his game to the next level this season, particularly with Jokic sidelined, but he has put himself head and shoulders above the competition
Murray will likely be competing with guys like Devin Booker and Austin Reaves for a spot, but even if he does not get selected into the 24-player pool, which seems unlikely, he could still find his way into the game. If there are not eight international players of the initial 24 selected, the NBA will select additional All-Stars to fill those spots with the new U.S. versus World format.
2026 NBA ALL-STAR GAME TO FEATURE NEW U.S. VS. WORLD COMPETITION
– Two U.S. Teams and One World Team in Round-Robin Tournament With Four 12-Minute Games –
NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2025 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)… pic.twitter.com/UaG5eUnU89
— NBA (@NBA) November 12, 2025
Regardless, though, Murray has done enough to be named an All-Star, and he will likely not need to be an “extra” to get into the contest.
“Murray should finally graduate from his captaincy of the ‘Best players never to be an All-Star’ team, as his normally slow start has been replaced by career-high averages in points (25.6), assists (7.5) and 3-point rate (44.8%) through the first few months of the season. His importance to the Nuggets has never been greater as the franchise deals with injuries up and down the rotation, including Jokic’s recent left knee issue,” Bontemps wrote.
What Jokic and Murray are doing this season has not been seen by a Nuggets duo in a long time, and it would be a shame if the two were not able to team up at this year’s All-Star Game.
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