Players to Watch: Keegan Murray
Keegan Murray at the NBA Summer League
Keegan Murray was the sleeper of the 2022 NBA Draft class. Murray, who fell to the Sacramento Kings at fourth overall in this year’s draft, had a phenomenal collegiate career capped off by a monster sophomore season in which he averaged 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Not only this, but he was also a defensive specialist. Because of his skill set, he has been able to shine in his early NBA Summer League appearances.
So far this summer, Murray has played in five games: three in the California Classic at Chase Center and two in Las Vegas. Across these appearances, the 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 20.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Not only is he posting these numbers, but he looks good doing it- shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from three. Perhaps the best performance in his five appearances came against fellow Top-5 draft pick Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic. In this game, Murray posted an impressive 20 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while defending Banchero very well. However, his most stunning play of the night came with 4.3 seconds remaining when he nailed a catch-and-shoot three to send the game to overtime.
Following these impressive appearances and the early display of his clutch gene, Murray has begun to draw more attention from players and scouts alike. After his game against the Magic, Banchero had high praise for the forward from Iowa. He described Murray as “Awesome,” saying, “he’s a great player. Tremendous offense, man. He’s a shotmaker. Every time he shoots, it’s almost like I think it’s going in. On that last one, I told him, ‘I knew you were going to make it’ as soon as he shot it. He’s a great player, and it was fun to compete against him.” Not only has he gained recognition from his peers, though. Now, NBA scouts are claiming him to be a more valuable pick than fourth overall. On Tuesday’s episode of The Hoop Collective, Marc Spears told Brian Windhorst, “I’ve had some scouts tell me they thought he was the No. 2 player in the draft."
Currently, Murray sits at +750 for Rookie of the Year, giving him the fifth-highest odds for the award (DraftKings). While it can be difficult to translate summer league to the regular season, Murray has already shown that he is willing and able to take his play to the next level. Murray could be the perfect addition to the Kings’ young core and is someone to definitely keep your eye on over the course of the 2022-23 NBA season.