There aren’t a lot of NBA players that made more of a name for themselves in a shorter timeframe than Denver guard Jamal Murray did during the team’s championship run this spring.
The sixth-year guard out of Canada averaged 26.1 points along with 7.1 assists for the Nuggets in 20 playoff games a season ago. Now, Murray’s next accolade is to reach an NBA All-Star Game for the first time. This year, Murray is averaging 20.0 PPG on 45.3% shooting, helping the Nuggets championship odds to rank in a second-place tie with Milwaukee at +425.
Last year’s NBA All Star game featured six first timers on the roster, so who will be the next? BetColorado.com took a break from Colorado sportsbooks and developed hypothetical odds of which NBA players have the best chance of being a first-timer in the 2024 game.
First-Time 2024 NBA All-Star Odds
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Jamal Murray an ASG Longshot
Though Murray has been excellent when healthy for Denver this year, the odds are still against him when it comes to reaching the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
Thanks to a nagging ankle injury, Murray has missed 13 games this season, which has lessened his ability to win over potential ASG voters when compared to other players. That’s a major reason why we list Murray at +1000 to make his first appearance, ranking well behind the leaders like Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia (-450), Scottie Barnes of Toronto (-250), Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren and Alperen Sengun of Houston (-200 each).
Murray has a chance to gain ground on his competition over the coming weeks as the 15-9 Nuggets look to bolster their playoff standing against quality teams like Golden State (on Christmas Day), as well as Memphis (Dec. 28) and the Thunder (Dec. 29). ESPN BET Colorado lists Murray with +50000 odds to win NBA Most Valuable player. His Denver teammate Nikola Jokic is the current favorite at +195.
