Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray named Las Vegas Summer League Most Valuable Player
The top picks from the 2022 NBA draft and hundreds of other aspiring young players assembled in southern Nevada for the Las Vegas Summer League over the past 11 days, but nobody was better than Kings rookie Keegan Murray.
Murray, who came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in June’s draft, was named summer league MVP on Monday after averaging 23.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals over four games in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward shot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 80.8% at the free throw line.
Murray was also an All-Summer League First Team selection along with Tari Eason (Houston Rockets), Quentin Grimes (New York Knicks), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Milwaukee Bucks) and Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets). Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers), Marko Simonovic (Chicago Bulls), Trendon Watford (Portland Trail Blazers) and Lindell Wigginton (Milwaukee Bucks) were named to the All-Summer League Second Team.
Murray posted the highest summer league scoring average by a top-10 pick since 2012. He was the only player to average at least 20.0 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.
Murray is the second consecutive Kings player to earn All-Summer League First Team and MVP honors, joining Davion Mitchell, who was named co-MVP in 2021 after leading Sacramento to the Las Vegas Summer League championship. Past summer league MVPs include Randy Foye, Nate Robinson, Jerryd Bayless, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Damian Lillard, Jonas Valanciunas, Glen Rice Jr., Kyle Anderson, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.
The Las Vegas Summer League was held for the first time in 2004. It grew from six teams in its inaugural season to 22 teams in 2008. All 30 teams have participated since 2018, making the event the premier summer showcase for young NBA talent. The MVP award has been presented since 2006.
Some analysts acknowledged Murray as a good fit for Sacramento when he was selected with the No. 4 pick in the draft — noting he was one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the draft at a position of need — but others criticized the Kings for passing on Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.
The conversation began to change when Murray announced his arrival with a strong showing at the California Classic. The four-team tournament doesn’t declare a champion or name an MVP, but Murray put up MVP-caliber numbers, averaging 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range to help the Kings go 3-0.
Murray’s impressive play continued with a series of marquee rookie matchups in Las Vegas. He had 20 points and nine rebounds in a double-overtime loss to the Orlando Magic, playing No. 1 draft pick Paolo Banchero to a virtual draw. Murray produced one of the summer’s best highlights when he came up with a steal and made a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to force overtime.
The next day, Murray scored 23 points to outduel Mathurin in a win over the Pacers. Murray thoroughly outplayed No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, posting 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Murray had another big game in his final summer league outing Friday, recording a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds despite playing only three quarters in an 82-69 win over the Phoenix Suns. It was his fifth consecutive 20-point game of the summer.
The Kings chose to hold Murray out of their final summer league game on Saturday, determining he had already done enough to prove he is ready for his first NBA season.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 12:19 PM.
