Murray and Jokic Join Elite Assist Club
They hit a rare passing milestone
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic have been the Nuggets’ core for years, drafted in 2016 and 2014 respectively, growing into one of the league’s most dangerous duos and helping Denver win the 2023 title. Their chemistry is obvious on the court, and this season they reached a noteworthy passing milestone: Murray has recorded more than 1,000 assists to Jokic since play-by-play tracking began, putting the pair in a very small group of teammate connections.
That exclusive company includes some all-time great tandems — think John Stockton and Karl Malone, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Those duos are remembered not just for scoring but for how consistently they found one another.
How the Nuggets look right now
Murray has remained healthy for most of the year and taken a big step in consistency, averaging about 26 points and 7.5 assists per game. That level of play earned him his first All-Star nod. Jokic, meanwhile, keeps playing like the game’s best player, putting up a season that’s essentially a triple-double — roughly 28.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game while shooting nearly 60% from the floor.
Jokic has also been finding Murray frequently — he’s assisted him roughly 908 times — which underlines how much they rely on each other. The Nuggets sit with a 34–19 record and hold the third seed in the West, and they’ll look to keep that momentum going when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers next.
Bottom line: this pairing isn’t just about highlight plays. Their connection on the pass sheet has become one of the league’s defining partnerships.
