A great start! Can Murray be selected as an All-Star this season?

In the regular season, the Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 122-88 at home.

As the star player, Jokic is still the key figure for the Nuggets to win this game. He only played 27 minutes in three quarters, shooting 10 of 15 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and easily handed over 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

In the 4 games since the start of the season, Jokic has achieved a triple-double in each game. He is currently averaging 20.3 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game. His scoring may not be outstanding, but he ranks first in the league in rebounds and assists, and his efficiency is still excellent, with a field goal percentage of 57.1% and a true shooting percentage of 64.7%.

It goes without saying how good Jokic is. Even if the start of this year is not so explosive, he is still one of the biggest candidates for MVP.

Let’s focus on the Nuggets’ second-in-command, Jamal Murray.

In this game, Murray's performance is also worth mentioning. He also played only three quarters and 25 minutes, shooting 5 of 14, 3 of 8 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Objectively speaking, Murray's performance in the first half was not good. At the end of the half, he scored 2 of 9 and only scored 6 points, and even 0 of 4 three-pointers;

But in the third quarter, it was the Nuggets who In the quarter that really widened the gap (the Nuggets beat the Pelicans 39-11 in this quarter, including a 29-2 wave), Murray scored 11 points in a single quarter. Before the last 3 minutes, he hit three consecutive three-pointers from a 45-degree angle on the left side, directly destroying his opponent.

After the whole game, there is another stat worth noting: Murray's on-field plus-minus value is as high as +29, ranking first in the team, even higher than Jokic (+25).

In the previous game, the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 127-114 in an away game, and Murray's performance was even crazier.

In this game, Jokic still performed well: 9 of 10 shots, a triple-double of 25 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, with a plus-minus value of +17.

The report card handed over by Murray is: played 37 minutes, made 16 of 29 shots, 5 of 9 three-pointers, 6 of 7 free throws, 43 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, with a plus-minus value of +30.

Similar to defeating the Pelicans, this game can beat the Timberwolves. The Nuggets also exerted their strength in the third quarter. They fell behind 57-65 at halftime. They blasted a wave of 45-29 in the third quarter to complete the comeback, and then never fell behind again. This feels a bit like the 23rd champion Nuggets, who came to the rescue in the third quarter.

Murray became the biggest contributor to the Nuggets' explosion in the third quarter. He played a full 12 minutes in this quarter, shooting 7 of 12 in the quarter, 4 of 7 three-pointers, 5 of 5 free throws, and scored 23 points and 2 assists. This feels a bit like Murray in the 23 playoffs, with extremely explosive scoring power.

In the next two games, Murray's performance was as follows:

- Against the Warriors, 11 of 20 shots, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals

- Against the Suns, 8 of 17 shots, Scored 23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal

After the current four games, Murray averaged 27.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 50%/41.4%/94.1% and a true shooting percentage of 61.7%.

It is definitely not as good as Reeves and Maxey's explosive start, but Murray's performance cannot be underestimated. Now his scoring ranks first in the team and 13th in the league, and it is also a career high.

For Murray, this year will be a great opportunity to become an All-Star.

Many fans must know how outstanding a player Murray is. In the 2020 park, he scored 50+ points twice in a single game and averaged 26.5 points per game to help the Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals after many years;

In the 2023 playoffs, Murray played to superstar level again, averaging 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, helping the Nuggets win their first championship in team history as the top second player.

Murray has proven himself more than once in the playoffs, but in the regular season, Murray has not been selected to the All-Stars in a year.

One of the reasons is that there are so many players in the Western Conference, and there are so many All-Star-level guards, including Alexander, Curry, Doncic and others who are all perennial All-Stars or even MVPs.

But another reason is that Murray himself is not ambitious enough. He has never played in the regular season at a level similar to or close to that of the 2020 or 2023 playoffs, so he has always missed the All-Stars, and he is rarely even seen in the All-Stars.

So, how can Murray be selected as an All-Star in the new season? Personally, I think there are three main points:

1. Maintain the current good momentum. In today's era of data explosion, we must at least average 25 points and 6 assists per game, and the efficiency cannot be too bad

2. Play as many highlights as possible, such as 43 points in a single game against the Timberwolves. This highlight game will bring a deeper impression to fans and coaches

3. Win as many games as possible. Murray is not the leader of the team, so he is included in the game. Selecting All-Stars is more difficult. At this time, record is very important. Coaches attach great importance to this when selecting substitute All-Stars.

Murray is definitely a capable player. Many regular-season superstars have never performed in the 2023 playoffs in their careers. He is a rare player who is stronger in the playoffs than in the regular season (occasionally). His starting performance this year is very good. I hope he can maintain it and witness his first All-Star.