Jamal Murray is enjoying a career-best season, earning his first All-Star selection. He’s averaging career highs in both points and assists. Murray’s play is demonstrating that the Denver Nuggets made the right choice with his max contract extension.
Doubts About Murray’s Contract Extension
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe highlighted Murray as one of the big winners of the 2026 season. They recalled questions surrounding his extension last year. Lowe mentioned that some questioned if the Nuggets had overpaid, asking, “Did they overdo this? Was he really a max guy?”
Simmons apparently had even stronger doubts. He thought there was “real fear that the Jokic era had been completely blown.” Murray’s current level of play has alleviated those concerns. He is now seen as the ideal complement to Nikola Jokic.
Murray’s Impressive Statistics
Murray signed a four-year, $208 million max contract extension before the 2024-25 season. The extension took effect this year. He’s performing like a player deserving of a substantial raise.
Murray is averaging a career-high 25.1 points per game, which ranks 16th in the league. He scored 52 points against the Pacers in December, marking his third 50-point game. His 7.1 assists per game rank 12th in the league, and there’s talk of him potentially winning his first All-NBA award this year.
- Shooting 48% from the floor.
- 42% from three.
- Career-high 3.1 made threes per game.
Murray’s usage rate is at a career-high 28.3%. He’s also having his most efficient year, with a player efficiency rating of 21.8.
The Murray-Jokic Connection
The connection between Jokic and Murray is thriving. Their partnership has reached a new level this season. Rich Paul even described it as “insane.”
Murray assisting Jokic leads the NBA for assist-to-point scorer duos. Jokic assisting Murray ranks fourth in the league. Their two-man game is drawing comparisons to some of the NBA’s great pairings.
Since 1996-97, they trail only Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for the most points created between teammates.
Both Murray and Jokic are content in Denver. They both want to finish their careers with the Nuggets. This level of camaraderie is rare. It further validates Murray’s max deal.