Nuggets’ Jamal Murray: ‘I’m An All-Star When You Need The All-Star To Show Up — In The Playoffs’

While Murray said he would love to be an All-Star, the Kentucky product knows he’s an All-Star in the playoffs. 

“Obviously, I would love to be an All-Star,” Jamal Murray said. “I’d love to get that kind of recognition. But I think when you win in the playoffs, you win on the biggest stages you play and show yourself on the biggest stages and you prove yourself against those so-called All-Stars, (then it’s) whatever. 

“I’m an All-Star when you need the All-Star to show up — in the playoffs. You want the best to step up (then), right? And I think I do a good job of that. So I kind of backed myself up in that way. That’s it. That’s what it is. So it’s just more fuel to the fire.”

Murray has career regular-season averages of 17.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists with the Nuggets. The 26-year-old has career postseason averages of 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists, proving that he takes his game to another level when it matters most. 

The Nuggets won the championship last season against the Miami Heat in five games. Murray averaged 21.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the Finals. 

“But (not being selected an All-Star) doesn’t hurt me like that, psychologically,” Murray said. “I haven’t made it for so long, and I’m a champion. And I’m on the best team in the world playing with the best player in the world.”

Murray is averaging 20.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists this season. The Nuggets are 36-18, good for fourth place in the Western Conference standings. 

“I mean, you play to win, right,” Murray said. “So for me, and my competitive spirit, just being on top of the list of winning.”