Is Jamal Murray on the Brink of His First All-Star Selection? How the Nuggets Guard’s Red-Hot November is Shaking Up the NBA

DENVER — Fresh off a clutch 26-point, 10-assist double-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 112-109 road victory over the Houston Rockets, Jamal Murray has pushed his early-season momentum into overdrive, turning November into a month-long audition for his first NBA All-Star nod. Murray, 28, orchestrated the Nuggets’ late 20-9 surge Friday night, calmly sinking two free throws with 23 seconds left to give Denver the breathing room it needed. The Canadian guard’s poise in crunch time has become a nightly storyline, and the numbers back up the eye test: Murray is averaging a career-best 23.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 94 percent at the line, all on pace for personal highs. Key to this leap has been an aggressive downhill mindset. According to NBA tracking data, Murray’s 11.3 drives per game not only lead the Nuggets but also rank among the league’s top guards. He has already attempted 52 shots within five feet of the rim—20 percent of last season’s total—and his expanded paint presence is forcing defenses to collapse, freeing Nikola Jokić and Denver’s shooters on kick-outs. Coach David Adelman credits Murray’s offseason regimen for the surge. “Jamal had an amazing summer,” Adelman said on media day. “He looks good, and mentally he’s great.” That preparation is translating into tangible wins: Denver (12-4) sits second in the Western Conference and 2-1 in NBA Cup group play with a crucial tilt against San Antonio looming on Nov. 28. Yet Murray’s ascent is about more than raw output. Advanced metrics paint him as one of the league’s most efficient late-game operators; he ranks in the 91st percentile on isolation possessions and sports a plus-14.7 net rating during clutch minutes. Those numbers, combined with his postseason résumé, have fans flooding social media with #MurrayAllStar pleas—even rival coaches have begun stumping for his inclusion. Availability, a past stumbling block, has also trended upward. After battling nagging hamstring and calf tightness earlier this month, Murray has logged at least 34 minutes in five straight games, easing concerns that his workload might be throttled early. The medical staff will monitor him on the second night of back-to-backs, but there is growing optimism he will avoid the extended absences that have sabotaged previous All-Star campaigns. Looking ahead, Denver’s upcoming homestand against the Kings, Spurs and Nets offers Murray a national-television stage to cement his candidacy before the first fan-vote returns drop in December. Should he maintain his current trajectory—top-20 leaguewide in scoring efficiency and assists per turnover—selection would no longer be a feel-good story; it would be a statistical inevitability. For now, Murray remains laser-focused on the macro goal. “I’m just trying to win another championship,” he reiterated postgame. If his November fireworks are any indication, the Nuggets’ title defense and Murray’s finally realized All-Star dream may be on a collision course.