Keegan Murray’s NBA rookie season has been one with peaks and valleys.
The 22-year-old has shown, at times, why he was worthy of the No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, Murray also has looked very much look a rookie at times. Nonetheless, Kings coach Mike Brown provided some advice that might help Murray finish the 2022-23 NBA season on a strong note.
“He is skilled, I’m telling you, he is a skilled young man,” Brown said on Sactown Sports 1140’s “Cattles & Ramie” on Monday. “And right now, he’s just [giving] our opponent a little too much respect at times. And he also gives his teammates a little too much respect at times.
“Sometimes he’s got to be selfish and he’s got to say, ‘No, I’m taking over’ or ‘No, I’m going to go do this’. But when he does it, he can’t shy away from contact, he can’t shy away from anything. He’s got to go up, through and over somebody with some sort of force to let, not only that opponent know that I’m here, but also to let his teammates know.”
The Iowa product entered this season intending to be a complimentary piece to the Kings’ star players, but his first-half success now has him heading to Salt Lake City to be part of NBA All-Star weekend, as he’ll play in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars game.
“I feel like it’s going good,” Murray told reporters on Monday when asked how he feels his rookie season is going (h/t FOX40 News). “I mean, for me, my goal here was just to be because I know we had two really good players in [Domantas Sabonis] and [De’Aaron Fox], so I’d just be able to find a way to play off those guys and be successful.
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“And I feel like I’ve done that so far, and I’m trying to do that at an elite level before the playoffs. So I’m just continuing to build off them and establish myself.”
Several Western Conference teams made moves as the NBA trade deadline closed. The Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets to pair him alongside Luka Dončić. Meanwhile, the Nets also traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, who already have Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.
RELATED: How Kings view Western Conference playoff picture after trade deadline
As for Sacramento, they stood pat at the deadline as their competition improved. However, the Kings’ decision not to make any moves might be influenced by the belief that Murray can take another step in his development to consistently be the sidekick alongside Fox and Sabonis heading into the playoffs.
If Murray can heed Brown's advice, they will be a scary team to play when the playoffs roll around.