Has Keegan Murray reached his NBA ceiling?

Kenny Caraway isn’t down on Keegan Murray. He just thinks the Kings–and their fans–should be clear about the player they have.

“Keegan Murray is Keegan Murray,” Caraway said on The Drive Guys. “He’s a good basketball player. If you want to have a good team, if you want to have a winning team, you need players like Keegan Murray on your roster.”

For Caraway, that means a strong defender who can give Sacramento 13 to 15 points a night. He isn’t expecting Murray to suddenly become a 20-point scorer or turn into a player who regularly creates his own shot.

That’s not a knock on Murray, he said. In his view, it’s a realistic read on Murray’s game as the 26-year-old enters the first year of his five-year, $140 million extension.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings poses for a picture during the Kings Media Day at Sacramento Kings Practice Facility on September 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Has Keegan Murray reached his NBA ceiling?

The numbers make the question understandable.

Keegan Murray averaged 12.2 points as a rookie, jumped to 15.2 in his second season, then slipped to 12.4. Last season, he averaged 14.0 across 23 games.

The three-point shooting has been the bigger concern: after making 41.1% of his threes as a rookie, he shot 35.8%, then 34.3%, and a career-worst 27.7% in that 23-game stretch in 2025-26.

Caraway still believes Murray can find his touch again. He pointed to that rookie season as evidence, but said the outside shot has to come around if Murray is going to raise his scoring without a more developed handle.

“To elevate and get to another point where he’s a 20-point-per-game scorer, you’re gonna have to be able to put it on the deck,” Caraway said. “And I just don’t think that’s in his game.”

That doesn’t mean Caraway wants Murray out of Sacramento. Quite the opposite: he said he wants Murray to stay and sees him as a good fit alongside Darius Acuff Jr.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Moses Moody #4 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of their preseason game at Chase Center on October 11, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The hope, then, isn’t that Keegan Murray becomes somebody else. It’s that he gets back to knocking down the open threes, keeps defending at a high level and settles into the kind of role that helps the Kings win.

Acuff’s first preseason outing offered a glimpse of why that fit could matter. With Murray, Malik Monk and Ben Simmons unavailable, Acuff had the ball a lot. Caraway acknowledged the rookie dribbled plenty, but asked who else the Kings could turn to under the circumstances.

“Who the hell are you gonna get the ball to?” he said.

If Acuff can grow into the lead guard Sacramento hopes for, Caraway sees him changing the conversation around veterans Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine, too.

Their futures may still be uncertain, but Acuff gives the Kings another reason to consider what the roster could look like with them.

Listen to The Drive Guys from 2 – 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Drive Guys.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

• Sacramento has familiar concerns after Preseason opener
• Darius Acuff Jr. impresses in preseason debut, but Lakers steamroll Kings
• Jerry Reynolds: Why the Sacramento Kings could outperform low win projections
• Doug Christie: Nothing I read about Ben Simmons was true
• Zach LaVine says he has ‘a lot left in the tank’ ahead of 13th season

Sacramento Kings Schedule: 2026-27 Preseason

• Thursday, October 8th @ Los Angeles Lakers (7:30 P.M. PST)
• Saturday, October 10th @ Golden State Warriors (5:30 P.M. PST)
• Tuesday, October 13th vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7:00 P.M. PST)
• Friday, October 16th @ San Antonio Spurs (7:00 P.M. PST)

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