Jamal Murray was shaping up to be one of the standout guards in the Western Conference. His playoff performances in 2020 showed that Murray is capable of leading a team to wins with 50-point performances whenever the team needs him to deliver. However, an ACL injury in 2021 took a season and a half off Murray’s career, with him finally returning for 2022-23.
His 18.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds are impressive, given the injury he’s returning from, but they aren’t All-Star caliber. Murray was on the trajectory to make multiple All-Star games in his career, but the excellence of guards in the West will make it an impossible task for Murray to break in.
Knowing he’s likely to miss out on being an All-Star in 2023 as well, Murray told The Athletic that he feels he’s better than the players that’ll get All-Star berths ahead of him.
“I know that I’m better than some of the All-Stars that are in there, yeah. For sure. No question.” (h/t The Athletic)
Making a case for Murray over likely All-Stars like Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, and even the injury-riddled Devin Booker is nearly impossible. Their numbers and impact on their teams far outshine Murray in Denver, so it seems his path to becoming an All-Star will remain full of obstacles.
The Guards In The Western Conference
We saw C.J. McCollum never make an All-Star appearance because he was playing alongside Damian Lillard and it never made sense for McCollum to get a spot ahead of the guards in the West at the time. The same applies to Jamal, whose team’s primary success is reliant on Nikola Jokic and not him. He is crucial for them but he isn’t the No. 1 option.
Every other guard in the West is leading their team as the primary scoring and creation option, which makes not only their stats better than Murray’s, but their impact is also far more important relative to their role in team success.
If Jamal can come out of the gates next season and average 25 points or better on good efficiency, he stands a chance. Until then, it looks like Murray may never be able to break through the All-Star game in the West.
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