Dejounte Murray has been named a Western Conference All-Star

The league has named Dejounte Murray as an injury replacement for Draymond Green at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, making this the first All-Star appearance of his career. With this well-deserved selection, the San Antonio Spurs have their first All-Star since LaMarcus Aldridge received a nod into the annual midseason exhibition in 2019.

Murray has bloomed into one of the best young point guards in the league during his sixth season with the Spurs, earning high praise from opposing players and head coaches. Though the team has slid in the standings, the gangly floor general has flourished, averaging 19.6 points, 8.4 boards, and 9.2 assists per game.

Here is the full roster of Western and Eastern Conference All-Stars:

*=Starter

#=Injury Replacement

West

G - Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)*

G - Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)*

F - Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)*

F - LeBron James (Golden State Warriors)*

C - Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)*

G - Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

G - Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)

C - Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)

F - Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

G - Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

G - Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns)

C - Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

G - Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs)#

East

G - Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)*

G - DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)*

F - Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)*

F - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)*

C - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)*

F - Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)

G - Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers)

G - James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)

G - Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)

F - Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)

F - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

G - Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors)

G - LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)#

Absurd nighly numbers have helped the 25-year-old facilitator draw even with Spurs legend David Robinson for the most triple-doubles in franchise history while leading to his first Western Conference Player of the Month nomination in January. Despite the individual accolades, Murray has been adamant that team success is the only thing that matters.

There is genuine disappointment in Dejounte’s voice when he takes a seat for postgame media availability following a loss, and he is more often than not the first one to take the blame. But Murray has worked endlessly from the instant he arrived in the 2-1-0 to transform himself from an unpolished prospect into an All-Star, and he should be proud of his accomplishment.

The 29th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft entered the league without a trace of a reliable jumper to go along with questionable court vision and suspect decision-making. Half a decade later, Murray is the type of player every organization wants on their roster, and he is one of the reasons San Antonio should have hope halfway through the first year of their rebuild.