Keegan Murray set for Rising Stars Game after strong start to NBA career
Feb 16, 2023, 10:12 AM | Updated: 10:16 am
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray is known for his calm, stoic demeanor, and you can expect the same from the forward during Friday night’s Rising Stars Game at NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The bright lights of All-Star Weekend might be a lot to handle for some, but Murray isn’t worried about any of the lights, cameras, or stars that will be present during this weekend’s action–He just wants to enjoy the experience.
“Just to have fun,” Murray said on Monday when asked about his approach to the Rising Stars Game. “I don’t really know what to expect, so I’m going in with a clear head and just trying to have a good time before heading back [to Sacramento].”
Murray, a two-time winner of the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, has been one of the league’s top rookies this season as the fourth-overall pick from last summer’s draft has emerged as one of the NBA’s top three-point shooters.
The 22-year-old leads the rookie class with 137 made triples, 49 more than the next player on the list (Jabari Smith Jr., 88).
If Murray continues to knock down triples at his current pace (2.5 per game), he will break Donovan Mitchell’s rookie record of 187 made three-point field goals.
Sacramento has benefited from Murray’s presence in a lineup that includes two All-Star talents in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, as the rookie’s floor-spacing ability and length on the defensive end have been an ideal complimentary piece to the star duo.
“My goal here, because I knew we had two really good players in Fox and Domas, is just to find a way to play off those guys and be successful,” Murray said of playing alongside Fox and Sabonis. “I feel like I’ve done that so far. I’m trying to do that at an elite level before the playoffs. I’m just continuing to build off them and establish myself.”
When you add 3-Point Contest competitor Kevin Huerter and veteran forward Harrison Barnes into the equation, the Kings have had one of the most efficient starting lineups in the league this season, something that shows in 32-25 start to the season–the franchise’s best record at an All-Star break in over 16 years.
The honor of being named to the Rising Stars team is one that Murray said has not come from his play alone, but from the contributions of those around him.
“I always want to try and be the best player that I can be. With our team’s success comes individual success, and I feel like it’s a big honor for me. Three years ago, I didn’t expect to be in this position, so I feel like it contributes to the people around me.”
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Murray’s path to the Rising Stars Game has been different from other notable rookies from around the league.
Rookie of the Year favorite and last year’s number-one pick Paolo Banchero is averaging 19.9 points per game for an Orlando Magic team that is destined for lottery selection. Jaden Ivey has shown flashes for a Detroit Pistons team that currently owns the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Murray–the only top-five pick rostered by a team with a winning record–has a different role with the Kings compared to those also present in Salt Lake City. Unlike the Iowa product’s role during his MVP run in NBA Summer League, Murray isn’t the top offensive option in Sacramento.
He isn’t the second or third option, either.
Unlike Banchero, Ivey, Smith Jr., and Bennedict Mathurin, Murray isn’t an offensive focal point for his team. Sacramento owns the league’s top offensive rating while scoring the most points per game, and it’s because of the balance that each player brings to the lineup.
With that balance in a Kings lineup that includes Fox, Sabonis Huerter, and Barnes, Murray’s usage percentage is much lower than those rookies I just named–much lower.
In fact, Murray’s 16.0 usage percentage ranks 12th in the 2022 draft class:
(Stathead)
The Kings haven’t needed Murray to play out of his comfort zone, and the rookie’s ability to play within himself and refrain from pressing has been notable. We’ve seen what Murray can do as a top option on the floor during his days at Iowa and in Summer League, but that isn’t who Sacramento needs him to be right now.
Murray enters the All-Star break with averages of 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from beyond the three-point line. Over just 55 games, the forward has set a new Kings franchise record for three-point field goals made by a rookie.
One of the most exciting aspects of Murray’s rookie season has been that there is still so much room for the former Hawkeye to grow. We’ve seen what he can do from beyond the arc, but there are parts of Murray’s game we have yet to see at the NBA-level–something that could spell more trouble for opposing defenses down the line.
Other avenues of Murray’s game will be explored in the coming years, as rosters will change and roles will grow or shrink, meaning that there could be a situation where the Kings need more from the 6’8 forward–but that isn’t the case this season.
On a team that runs behind the motor of Fox and Sabonis, Murray has provided Sacramento with elite three-point shooting and respectable defense (leads the team with 29 blocks), which was exactly what this team needed entering the season.
You can see Murray’s sneaky athleticism peek through now and then, something that head coach Mike Brown says he has tried to push the rookie to do more often when the opportunity presents itself.
“If you drive to the basket, dunk on somebody,” Brown said back in late November when sharing his message to Murray. “Do not give cats respect that they don’t deserve in this league.”
KEEGAN POSTER 😱 pic.twitter.com/Y1KRMFfkMo
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 21, 2023
Most importantly, Murray’s play has contributed to winning basketball as Sacramento will open up the final stretch of the season holding the third spot in the Western Conference as they aim to bring a 16-year playoff drought to an end.
Unlike the rookies that will be playing alongside Murray on Friday night, the fourth-overall pick has some crucial games on the horizon as we move into the postseason push.
While this weekend will be about celebrating Murray’s accomplishments thus far in his rookie campaign, the talented wing is already looking forward to the final weeks of the season–weeks that will see some high-stakes basketball.
“The second half of the season is going to be tough for us, and we’re all excited for that challenge.”
The NBA Rising Stars game takes place at 6 p.m. PST Friday, Feb. 17 and will be televised by TNT.
Sactown Sports 1140 will be heading to Utah for All-Star Weekend, meaning you can find all of your Rising Stars coverage right here on SactownSports.com or on any of our social pages.
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