Dear Dejounte Murray, Hours From Your NBA All-Star Snub

The NBA All-Star reserves are set to be announced Thursday on TNT NBA Tip-Off, and I fully expect San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray to be left out.

Of course, such a snub would be a travesty, as the fifth-year guard is putting up career numbers across the board and has progressed his offense to match his already outstanding defense. Murray's 19.6 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game would be more than enough to get him selected in a market like, say, New York or Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, that's not quite the way it works in the NBA.

Dejounte, when the TNT crew announces the Western Conference All-Stars, I don't expect your name to be called. Instead, we'll see Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell taking a couple of backcourt spots while Devin Booker and Chris Paul will likely represent the West-leading Phoenix Suns. You're undoubtedly having a better season than a few of these guys, but, unfortunately, that doesn't matter so much.

Playing in San Antonio this season means you're at the center of a perfect storm of a lackluster record and being in an ignored market. The antiquated method of continuing to use positions on the team also doesn't help either.

We saw it with Devin Vassell already. Despite averaging 11.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game at the time of the Rising Stars roster announcement, he was nowhere to be found. "Not surprised! Head down, keep working!" He said after the snub.

That's fully how I expect you to handle your snub as well. Your attitude is exactly what the Spurs need. You couldn't care less about triple-doubles unless they come in wins. You're thankful to just be in the All-Star conversation while also being humble.

You would sacrifice any and all individual accolades if it meant bringing the city of San Antonio and your teammates more wins, and it shows in your work ethic and the emotion you display on the court.

It's clear to many that you're more than deserving of an NBA All-Star selection, but, through no fault of your own, your name hasn't quite reached the level of a Mitchell or Booker quite yet. Having exactly zero nationally-televised games doesn't help.

Who knows? Maybe the panel of NBA head coaches surprises us all and you get an invite to Cleveland. Maybe an injury opens the door for you to be where you belong. However it turns out, we know you'll put that behind you and be back on the court leading your guys and helping them evolve as players.

This is far from the last opportunity you'll get to represent the Spurs as an NBA All-Star. As you said in a message of hope to fans recently, it can't storm forever. The world will know your name soon enough.