‘Fantastic’ Murray on right track to become two-way Kings star originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Don’t look now, but a two-way star is being born in the NBA.
Keegan Murray entered the league two seasons ago as a lottery-pick rookie on a Sacramento Kings team that hadn’t been to the playoffs in 16 years. Fans were optimistic and hopeful, but the reality was so much more.
Murray helped halt the Kings’ playoff drought with his scoring, mostly as a spot-up 3-point shooter. He broke the NBA rookie 3-point record with 206 made treys and earned All-NBA Rookie First Team honors.
Murray’s first-year showing raised eyebrows, but it also upped expectations as the young forward entered his sophomore season. The Kings wanted him to find ways to score other than from beyond the arc while also emphasizing defense.
Check and check.
Now entering Year 3, Murray has seen what he’s fully capable of on both ends, and he’s implementing it in ways that could be dangerous for the rest of the league.
And if Friday’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors was any indication of Murray’s sky-high potential, he’s headed in the right direction.
Murray was all over the floor in a 109-106 loss at Chase Center, with aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Measuring Murray’s growth can be tricky, especially defensively, since many of the little things don’t always show up on a stat sheet.
But to put numbers on things: Murray was given several difficult defensive assignments, such as bodying up 6-foot-6, 230-pound Draymond Green, who, to put it lightly, can make it a long night for anyone guarding him.
Murray, who’s 6-8 and 215 pounds, accepted the challenge and finished with a game-high five steals.
Murray also had the tall task of defending — as one can try their best to — Warriors superstar Steph Curry, who left the game early with a jammed right index finger. Curry played 16 minutes and finished with just six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field (28.5 percent) and 1 of 4 from 3-point range (25 percent), three rebounds, four assists and four turnovers.
While that’s a small sample size, forcing the opposing team’s best player to turn over the ball more than usual is a good sign. Of course, Kings guard Keon Ellis largely can be credited for Curry’s mistakes, but it’s also an overall testament to the impact that he and Murray can have against some of the world’s greatest players.
And it shows just how important Murray’s defensive progress will be to Sacramento’s overall success.
“We put him on a lot of different bodies,” Kings coach Mike Brown said after the game. “He had to guard Draymond. He had to guard Steph. He guarded Kyle Anderson. He chased Buddy Hield around. We moved him around a little bit. So he was fantastic, especially in his shift position. He was always in the right spot. I don’t like when guys gamble to go for a steal just trying to get the steal, because probably seven times out of 10, you’re going to miss it. And now when you miss it, it puts you out of position defensively, and they have a five-on-four advantage.
“And Keegan, he was just in the right spot a lot of times. And whoever was on the ball, whoever went to help, they did a great job. High hands, guys were in the right spot on the backside, and a lot of times, the ball came to him because they tried to skip the ball. [But] because he was in the right spot, he just took the passing lane because the hands were high, it was a hang-time pass, and he took the pass lane and we’re off the other way.”
“So, he was great on the ball and off the ball defensively. That’s what I like. No matter who he guarded — he guarded [Jonathan] Kuminga, too. So, no matter who he guarded, I thought he was a physical presence, and he did it without fouling [he committed just three fouls]. And then offensively, he was aggressive. He was aggressive getting downhill, and he shot the right shots. So, he was a lot of fun to watch tonight.”
Murray finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 1 of 5 from downtown, one rebound, two assists and one block in 26 minutes. He also was aggressive going to the basket and the line, as he shot a team-high eight free throws and made six.
New Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who mentioned last week that he’s excited to work with Murray and be a part of the 24-year-old’s growth, said after Friday’s game that he was “preaching” aggressiveness and getting to the free-throw line to his young teammate.
Brown doesn’t want to put labels on Murray or set expectations. He just knows what the Kings need from their young forward if they hope to return to playoff contention this season.
“He’s a young player that’s getting better, and he’s a two-way player that is continuing to show that he can score from all three levels,” Brown said. “And he understands he needs to keep being aggressive and not to settle offensively, and he showed some of that tonight by putting that back shoulder into the defense on his drives.
“We all know he can shoot the ball. We all know he can defend. So, he’s just doing what he’s supposed to do. He’s a very, very smart young man with a great feel, and every time he steps out on that floor, he gets a little bit better.”