Why McNair believes Murray was NBA's most impactful rookie

Share

Despite his costly Chick-fil-A duties, Keegan Murray’s first year in the NBA was a rookie season like no other

The 22-year-old forward, who the Kings selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, was the only rookie who played a significant role for his team in the playoffs. 

While Kings general manager Monte McNair certainly was impressed with his rookie’s showing in his first year in the league, Murray surpassed even McNair’s expectations. 

“A rookie who started seven games in a playoff series, was, I believe, the most winning impact rookie on the court this year,” McNair told reporters Wednesday, moments after winning the NBA’s 2022-23 Executive of the Year. “While we didn’t ask him to come in and shoot 30 shots, he certainly could have, he was the leading scorer in college basketball last year. 

“But to come in and know what we need, which was to actually defend multiple positions, hit shots, cut to the basket, play off of our veterans, I thought it was a fantastic year for him. I wish I could say I knew he was going to come in and shoot 40 percent and hit over 200 3s, but testament to him, he came in and surpassed expectations.”

Murray played 29.8 minutes per game in the regular season, averaging 12.2 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range. 

It took him less than five months to make history as he surpassed Donovan Mitchell’s single-season record for most 3s made by a rookie. The previous record was 187. Murray finished the season with 206. 

He also participated in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend. 

But perhaps his most impressive showing was in the playoffs, where he struggled in the beginning but stayed focused and confident, which paid off for himself in the end.

After struggling in the first three games of Sacramento's first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Murray averaged 14.5 points on 51.1 percent shooting from the field and 45.8 percent from deep, along with 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 35.0 minutes played of the final four games of the series. 

RELATED: Huerter reveals favorite Kings moment from 2022-23 season

While McNair and Kings coach Mike Brown reiterated the importance of Murray getting the experience in his rookie year, they -- and he -- already are looking on how he can improve in Year 2. 

"For him, it’s just continue learning experience," McNair said. "I think we even saw the playoffs being a microcosm of his season, and hopefully what his career is to come. He just got better and better as the playoff series went on and was one of our best players in Games 6 and 7.

"I wish he had gotten more accolades but the good thing about Keegan is he doesn’t care. He knows he contributed to winning and we’re going to need him to just continue to take on more and more going forward and he’s going to be able to do that I think."

With an unforgettable rookie season under his belt, it's clear that the sky is the limit for the young forward. 

Contact Us