One thing was certain after Oklahoma City players and coaches talked to the media following Tuesday morning’s shootaround — they have ultimate respect for Nuggets guard Ty Lawson.

Both Thunder coach Scott Brooks and forward Kevin Durant say Lawson’s not getting the attention he deserves for the solid season he’s having.

“I think he’s in the mix to be an all-star,” Durant said. “He should be, in my opinion. Just the numbers he’s putting up. He’s doing a great job of leading. I think he deserves it. We still have a lot of games to go before then, but he’s playing at an all-star level.”

Said Brooks, who is tasked with putting together a game plan to slow Lawson down in Tuesday night’s Thunder-Nuggets matchup at the Pepsi Center: “He’s an all-star-type player. He comes in and does his work every night. I don’t think he gets enough credit. He deserves much more credit than he gets. He’s a tough kid. I don’t know him, but he just seems like he comes at you every single possession. Defensively, he’s scrappy. His 3-point shooting has improved. He’s done a good job of improving his game over the summer. He’s right there with all of the other great point guards in the West.”

Even coming off of two sub-par performances, Lawson is having his best season as a professional with averages of 18 points and 7.8 assists. He continues to round back into top form after missing time with a hamstring strain.

Durant was asked whether he agreed with Brooks’ assessment that Lawson isn’t getting the credit he deserves.

“I definitely agree with it,” Durant said. “He’s not one of those sexy names like Russell Westbrook or Stephen Curry. He just started to become one of those guys you depend on as a point guard. He was probably behind Chauncey (Billups) his first few years, and he’s eased his way into the starting lineup, and now he’s turned into a star. So, give it a few more games and you’ll start hearing Ty Lawson’s name all the time because he’s having a great season.”

Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dempseypost