Kings rookie Keegan Murray discusses COVID-19 recovery; potential NBA debut vs. Clippers
Kings rookie Keegan Murray hopes to make his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday after missing the first game of the season while recovering from illness.
Murray returned to practice Thursday after being away from the team for several days due to NBA health and safety protocols. He said he is looking forward to getting on the floor in front of the Golden 1 Center crowd after witnessing the atmosphere in Wednesday’s season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We have one of the best fanbases in the NBA,” Murray said. “So just being able to play in front of them and get a win — that’s my biggest goal — I think it will be really special once I’m able to get back on the floor.”
Murray missed Sacramento’s third preseason game with what was initially believed to be a non-COVID-19 illness. He then missed the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers after entering the league’s protocol system and was not cleared to rejoin the team until Wednesday.
Murray went through the morning shootaround but did not suit up for Wednesday’s 115-108 loss to the Blazers. He said he was feeling much better over the past couple of days.
“I had symptoms,” Murray said. “There’s stuff that kind of hit me a little bit, but I’m 100% now. I feel really good, so it’s just something that took me a couple of days to get over the hurdle.”
Kings coach Mike Brown said Murray was a full participant with no restrictions in Thursday’s non-contact practice. He also stayed after practice for 3-on-3 work with the coaching staff. Murray will go through live action in a contact practice Friday before the team determines his status for Saturday’s game.
“It’s still TBD,” Brown said. “We’re going to probably have some contact tomorrow, and so to see him in a little bit of live action will help, and then I’m not sure what else our medical team has in store for him. I’m sure they have something in store for him, so right now we’re just letting him kind of go about his daily steps to get himself ready to play again.”
The Kings chose Murray out of Iowa with the No. 4 pick in June’s NBA draft. He enters his first season among the early favorites for Rookie of the Year after winning MVP at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 23.3 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He appeared in two preseason games, leading the team in scoring at 16.0 points per game while shooting 70.6% from the field and 70% from beyond the arc.
Murray wasn’t able to attend last weekend’s Fan Fest, but his team included him with an impromptu FaceTime call when it was time for the rookies to sing “Happy Birthday” to Richaun Holmes.
“I didn’t even know I was going to be a part of it,” Murray said. “One of the assistant coaches just called me, and all of the sudden I was in the middle of everyone. I wasn’t even expecting it, so it was pretty cool just to know that they could involve me in that.”
Murray was asked if there are any obstacles to clear in the return-to-competition conditioning phase of his recovery as the Kings prepare for Saturday’s game against the Clippers and Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
“It’s just going out and having the confidence to get back and ready to play,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing right now, just knowing that I’m ready to play these next couple games, so that’s the biggest hurdle right now.”
Murray said he’s feeling good as he ramps up his conditioning.
“I’ve kind of had a smooth transition, honestly, just coming from the protocols and then right onto the court,” Murray said. “So, I think it’s just the reconditioning, getting back in game shape and things like that, but it’s been smooth so far.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
