There’s no debate whether Jamal Murray’s on track to have the best season of his career, but there’s going to be discourse on whether that’s deserving of an All-Star debut.

“I’m happy we’re off to a good start,” Murray said Tuesday, a day after he earned the first Western Conference player of the week award of his career. “I’m glad I got off to a good start as well, which was a goal. I’m pretty happy with the way things are going right now.”

A new format might not help his cause. In an attempt to make the exhibition more exciting, the NBA is instituting a round-robin tournament between two teams of players from the United States and one team representing the rest of the world. Each team will have a minimum of eight members with no positional designations, but 12 players from each conference will be selected.

The voting process is carried over from previous years where the starters will be selected by fans, players and media. The fan vote will make up 50% of the vote with the players and media splitting the other half. The reserves will be selected by the league’s coaches, though they can’t vote for their own players. Vouching for them is as close as they can get.

“From what I saw this summer, mentally, physically, all those things were at such a high level. It’s cool to see that translate into the season. Jamal’s been a special player forever,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said Tuesday.

“I don’t really judge his starts to each season, but obviously this one has been one that will stand out just because of the way he’s played — not just the way he’s scored the ball and the efficiency — but the way he’s got off the ball when he needs to for his teammates.”

If the voting doesn’t select 16 players from the United States and eight foreign players, commissioner Adam Silver will select as many players as necessary to get eight players on each team.

Voting is expected to start in late December and run for roughly a month before the Clippers host the All-Star Game on Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome. Here’s how Murray’s chances look compared to the other international options with the 28-year-old averaging 25 points on 50.6% shooting from the field, 44.7% on 3-pointers and 89.8% on free throws with 6.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game:

The Locks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

The case for SGA to make his fourth All-Star Game is straightforward. He’s the best player on a team in a tier of its own. Interestingly, points are the only real differentiator between the Thunder’s No. 1 option and Denver’s No. 2. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the field, 44.3% from deep and 88.1% from the line. Nuggets fans would appreciate the mention that the scoring would be closer if Murray’s four free throws per game were closer to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 10.2, but that’s immaterial. Last season’s Most Valuable Player is going to the All-Star Game.  The good news is Canadian fans who vote for the Thunder star will likely also cast a vote for Murray.

Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Whether he likes it or not, the Nuggets’ leader won’t have much of a break this season. Jokic is on pace to average a triple-double for a second straight season, which is more than enough to send him to his eighth All-Star Game. The 11 assists he’s averaging and the 67.3% true shooting percentage are tracking to be career-highs. He’ll be an obvious vote for his fellow players, Nuggets fans and his people back in Serbia. The Serbians might also be kind enough to throw votes Murray’s way. If the Nuggets only have one All-Star this season, it will, once again, be the Joker.

Luka Doncic, Lakers

Thanks to the NBA’s leading scorer, the three players with the best odds to be this season’s MVP were all born outside the United States. Doncic is a deserving candidate, averaging 35 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists. The efficiency isn’t as elite, as Doncic is shooting 47.2% from the field, 33.5% from 3 and 81% at the line, but the stats aren’t empty calories, either. The Lakers started the season 17-7, good for the third-best record in the Western Conference, despite playing most of the season without LeBron James. Doncic, like Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, won’t need the international vote to make his sixth All-Star appearance. Unlike the last two MVPs, Doncic’s homeland, Slovenia, has no reason to throw votes Murray’s way.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

The only uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo’s All-Star status is whether he’ll count toward one of the Eastern Conference’s spots. The soon-to-be 10-time All-Star has reportedly expressed interest in continuing his career outside of Milwaukee. Regardless, he’s posted 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and nearly one block and one steal per game, with impressive percentages from the field (63.9%) and from distance (43.5%). Those rooting for Murray to make his All-Star Game debut will be rooting for the Greek Freak to keep his talents in the East.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

The NBA’s rarest unicorn is the last of the locks. Wembanyama possesses otherworldly talent but has appeared in just 12 games this season after missing San Antonio’s NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Lakers with a left calf strain. He’s nearing a return. As long as Wembanyama’s healthy in February, he’ll be among the reasons the American teams have their hands full. He’s averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and four assists with 3.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. He plays in one of the smaller markets, but his unique talents have captivated the minds of fans across the globe. For the foreseeable future, any All-Star Game without Wembanyama will be an incomplete event, which will leave five of the international spots spoken for.

The Competition

Alperen Sengun, Rockets

Houston’s Turkish center is close to a lock, but he isn’t the same kind of household name as the first five — yet. What Sengun already has is an All-Star appearance last season. Since then, he’s increased his scoring from 19.1 to 23.1 points and assists from 4.9 to 7.1 per game since last season, and the rebounding average has only dropped from 10.3 to 9.1. He’s remained a consistent scorer in his fifth NBA season. Paired with Kevin Durant, the Rockets are the Western Conference’s safest bet to have two All-Stars.

Lauri Markkanen, Jazz

One thing is not up for debate – Utah’s stretch forward scores like an All-Star. Markkanen’s 27.6 points per game ranks 10th. He does so while shooting 47.2% from the field, 36.1% from deep and 90.7% at the line while operating as the top option on a struggling team. The scoring average is two points higher than his only other All-Star appearance in 2023, his first season with the Jazz. The Finn is also posting 6.5 rebounds and a couple of assists per game. As long as Murray’s scoring is in the same neighborhood as Markkanen’s, the safe bet is the coaches siding with the player contributing to a winning team.

Josh Giddey, Bulls

The Aussie in the Windy City is using Chicago’s up-tempo pace to flirt with a triple-double. He’s averaging 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists on solid shooting splits. Giddey, like Murray, is out to make his first All-Star Game. Denver’s point guard is the better scorer, while Giddey has the edge in the complementary stats. The fact the reserve spots are decided by coaches should favor Murray over Giddey for the same reason as Markkanen, who’s playing on the offense with the fourth-fastest pace.

The Sleepers

Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers

Portland’s playing faster than any other team in the Western Conference, and Avdija is the primary beneficiary. He’s a favorite to win Most Improved Player after posting 25.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in Portland’s first 24 games this season. The Trail Blazers have only won nine games, so it’s probably going to take a significant surge from the Israeli unless the international squad somehow ends up with more than eight players.

Franz Wagner, Magic

It looked like Orlando’s German forward saw his All-Star hopes disappear when he fell awkwardly to the floor on Sunday, but the medical imaging came back clean. The fact it was a high ankle sprain ended up being good news, but he’s still expected to miss at least a few weeks. That won’t leave much time for him to increase his numbers — 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists — enough to warrant serious consideration unless he can convince the coaches or commissioner with a wildly impressive return from injury.

NUGGETS 136, KINGS 105

What happened: Denver led by 15 after the first quarter and owned a 77-54 advantage at halftime. The Nuggets led by 28 to start the fourth and cruised to an 11^th consecutive home win to improve to 18-6.

What went right: Six Nuggets scored in double figures, led by Nikola Jokic’s 36 points on 16 shots, while Peyton Watson added 21 points on 10 shots. Jonas Valanciunas led the bench with 15 points after making all seven of his shots.

What went wrong: The Kings also had six players score in double figures with Malik Monk coming off the bench to lead the team with 18 points. Russell Westbrook, once again, had something for his old team with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds.

Highlight of the night: Tim Hardaway Jr. hit DeMar DeRozan with a hesitation move early in the second quarter and continued to the rim where he threw down a left-handed dunk with the Kings forward on his hip.

Up Next: The Nuggets have another three-day break before hosting the Rockets on Monday at Ball Arena.