Kings rookie Keegan Murray shows ‘a little wiggle’ in career night against Oklahoma City
The Kings have implored rookie Keegan Murray to be more aggressive.
Halfway through his rookie season, the No. 4 pick in June’s NBA draft has made his mark as a 3-point marksman, but coach Mike Brown has pleaded with him to play with more assertiveness, particularly when it comes to attacking the rim.
If his last two games are any indication, Murray could be turning a corner and developing his all-around game, which could prove paramount for the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed to have staying power.
“I’m glad he’s starting to show a little bit of what he can do,” Brown said,” because it was a fun performance to watch tonight from Keegan Murray.”
Murray posted career highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds in Sacramento’s 118-113 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at Golden 1 Center. It was the Kings’ sixth win a row, and it was Murray’s second career double-double. His first came in Wednesday’s road win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I love his confidence,” Brown continued. “I slapped him (high) five after the game like five or six times and said, ‘Do your s--- Keegan Murray!’ He goes, ‘I got a little wiggle.’”
Brown changed his voice to impersonate Murray’s monotone cadence, which drew laughs in the postgame press conference. Murray, of course, is one of the quieter players in the Kings’ locker room, and his teammates are often pushing the 22-year-old from Iowa to open up and show some personality.
The same could be said for Brown’s coaching staff regarding Murray’s offensive game. He has been arguably the top shooter among all rookies this season. He leads NBA rookies with 2.4 made 3s per game, and his 41.5% shooting clip is the best of any rookie to appear in at least 40 contests.
But Murray came into Friday shooting just 47.8% on 2-point attempts, easily the worst among Kings’ rotation players and ahead of only reserve point guard Matthew Dellavedova. Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter were both shooting 58% on 2s before Friday.
Murray against the Thunder made all five of his 2-point attempts, hitting midrange jumpers and throwing in a pair of dunks, which made Brown especially happy.
“The finishing at the rim has been a big emphasis by us,” Brown said, “because he’s more than capable of finishing over the top. And in the past, there was too many times where he was giving our opponents too much respect by trying to shoot a little fading hook shot. ... No, if you’re around that rim, dunk the basketball. That has been a mainstay from us as a staff this whole year and it was great to see him do that tonight.”
One of Murray’s appeals to the Kings when they drafted him was his size and versatility. He’s listed at 6-foot-8 and spends most of his time at power forward or small forward. But playing with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox makes Murray the fourth or fifth offensive option on most nights, which has led to getting the bulk of his shine as a 3-point shooter who takes advantage of his teammates making plays for him.
Friday was one of the first times Murray took playmaking into his own hands. He pulled up from the elbows more confidently and drove to the rim more aggressively than he has all season. The rebounding, which Brown has harped on for weeks, stood out, evident by logging back-to-back double-doubles for the first time.
“Yeah, a big thing for me and my development is playmaking,” Murray said. “So that’s all three levels. And I feel like with the Thunder, they’re in drop coverage a lot, and they’re always chasing me, so the midrange is something I have to get better at if they’re going to keep chasing over screens and play drop coverage. And I feel like with the individual workouts I’ve done this season, that’s just a comfortable position for me.”
Murray’s been dealing with an undisclosed injury to his left thumb. He has sported a wrap similar to that on the right hand of Sabonis to protect an avulsion fracture to his thumb. Murray said recently it prohibits him from palming the ball, which could also affect his willingness to attack the rim with force.
But the shooting has remained constant. And the Kings needed it in the fourth quarter to survive the Thunder, who had won four in a row and seven of nine. Murray scored 13 points in the final frame while no other King had more than four.
Even Huerter, who has rarely passed up an opportunity for an open 3-point attempt, gave up an open look to get Murray a shot in the left corner. Huerter went 2 of 7 from beyond the arc. Outside of Murray, the Kings made just 7 of 31 (22.5%) from 3-point range.
“I think outside, it was a rough shooting game for most of us tonight,” Huerter said. “So I think Keegan had it going, obviously, especially that fourth quarter, and the ball was finding him. They were in scramble (mode defensively) a lot. Obviously, teams are going to do that trying to stop Fox and Domas down the court. So, for me and Keegan both, especially, it’s making the right play on the back side and knocking down shots.”
With his five 3s Friday, Murray became the second-fastest player to reach 100 career 3-pointers made (42 games), tying Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
“He’s coming out of his shell,” Huerter said of Murray. “He had a career high, came in, grabbed all the towels and was passing them out, just doing his rookie duties without being asked. But he’s been great. I think he’s getting more social and more comfortable, especially on the court. And we need him, obviously.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2023 at 12:54 AM.
