San Antonio, welcome back to the All-Star Game.
Just like the first flower of spring after a long winter, it looks as though better days may ahead for the San Antonio Spurs. Point guard Dejounte Murray has blossomed this season as one of the better players in the NBA. Now, the young leader has been recognized by the league, earning his first career All-Star nod. This is a beautiful sign of life for the storied franchise’s youth movement.
Last week when Murray wasn’t selected Draymond Green said he thought Murray should get his spot with Green out due to injury.
Steve Kerr also said he voted for Murray as an All-Star reserve.
Coach Pop has said multiple times Murray is having an All-Star season. https://t.co/SufDdx1Olz
— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) February 7, 2022
The Spurs haven’t had a representative at the event since LaMarcus Aldridge in 2018-2019, as the lack of wins has seemed to diminish the perception of the roster. Murray is having a stand-out season in his sixth year. Many feel he was deserving of a reserve selection last week, if not as a starter out of the Western Conference. The 2016 first-round selection is just shy of averaging a triple-double for the season. He’s scoring 19.6 points per game, along with 9.2 assists and 8.4 rebounds, as well as two steals each night. He will now display his talents on Sunday, February 20th in Cleveland at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
Reaction to Dejounte Murray’s All-Star Announcement
Shortly after the announcement was made, the Spurs shared a video of Murray on their social media channels, speaking about the honor.
From there, the recognition from Murray’s peers around the league poured in. Even his mentor, Jamal Crawford posted to his Twitter, “Told y’all it was just a matter of time… So happy for my brother Dejounte Murray!”
Told y’all it was just a matter of time..So happy for my brother @DejounteMurray! 🙌🏾
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) February 7, 2022
There had been outspoken support for Murray to be an All-Star through the voting process last month. None, however, carried the impact of the endorsement that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green gave last week on Inside the NBA. Green was selected as a reserve but is unable to play due to a back injury. The official replacement selection was made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
