Source: Kings’ Keegan Murray expected to play in rookie battle vs. Thunder’s Chet Holmgren
.jpeg "Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray drives against Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero during a Las Vegas Summer League Game on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.")
Kings rookie Keegan Murray has already gone up against No. 1 draft pick Paolo Banchero. Now, the stage is set for another rookie battle with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee that Murray is expected to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Orlando shut down Banchero on Tuesday after rookies Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe suffered injuries, but Murray will play at least one more game barring a change before Wednesday’s game.
Oklahoma City has not announced Holmgren will play against the Kings, but he hasn’t been ruled out either. Holmgren sat out Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after playing back-to-back games at the Salt Lake City Summer League, but he played in Saturday’s 90-88 loss to the Houston Rockets and Monday’s 84-81 victory over the Magic.
Holmgren, a 7-foot-1, 195-pound power forward from Gonzaga, had 12 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, two steals and two assists in Friday’s loss to the Rockets. That game featured a big matchup with No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr., who had 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting with nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Holmgren followed that performance with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in Monday’s win over the Magic. Banchero did not play in that game.
Murray, a 6-8, 215-pound power forward, came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in June’s NBA draft. He put up MVP-caliber numbers to help the Kings go unbeaten at the California Classic, averaging 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range.
Murray has continued to impress in Las Vegas. He had 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 94-92 double-overtime loss to Orlando on Saturday. He made 5 of 11 from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point range and 6 of 8 at the free-throw line, fairing pretty well against Banchero’s size, speed and physicality. The highlight of the night came when he calmly drilled a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game with 0.2 seconds remaining, forcing overtime after the Kings trailed by 18 with less than five minutes remaining.
Murray had another solid outing in Sunday’s 103-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. He finished with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting with three rebounds and three assists.
Murray was asked after Sunday’s game what it has been like to face other top lottery picks during summer league competition.
“I think it’s been a good experience for me,” Murray said. “Just being able to get my feet under myself again, play 5 on 5 , live action, play against really good players, so it’s been good for me and my confidence.”
Murray was also asked how he was holding up against the grind of five summer league games over nine days.
“I missed it if, anything,” Murray said. “I just missed the grind of playing a lot of games, practicing all the time. I just missed that grind, and, right now, I’m just having fun.”
