Keegan

Murray

Murray aggravated his sprained left ankle during Wednesday’s loss to the Rockets and was forced to exit. Nique Clifford entered the lineup to start the third quarter of that game and should retain that role, making him a player worth rostering. Also worth a look in deeper leagues is Daeqwon Plowden, but he is not a must-add.

While Clifford was not in the starting lineup on Wednesday, he did start the third quarter due to Keegan Murray aggravating his sprained left ankle. The first-round pick out of Colorado State played 28 minutes in Houston, and he may take on an enhanced role as soon as Thursday’s game in Dallas. If so, Clifford has the potential to join fellow rookie Maxime Rayanud (11 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes) on the list of first-year players who can be serious factors in fantasy basketball during the silly season.

Murray, who missed over a month after spraining his left ankle in early January, injured the ankle again during the first quarter of Wednesday’s game. He played nine minutes, finishing with three points, one rebound and one blocked shot. Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Daeqwon Plowden may pick up additional minutes in Murray’s absence, but neither is a must-add.

After scoring 15 points in his first game back from a sprained ankle on Thursday, Murray put up 20 as part of a complete stat line on Saturday. Also of note for the Kings forward was that he played a team-high 36 minutes. While DeMar DeRozan (20/1/5/2/1 in 35 minutes) and Russell Westbrook (7/3/2/1/1 with one three-pointer in 21 minutes) don’t appear to be part of the Kings’ long-term plans, Murray should be the priority over the final two months of the regular season. If the Kings take that approach, it should bode well for fantasy managers who have him rostered.

Murray took the floor for the first time in over a month and finished with a solid overall stat line. He played 32 minutes, despite the score being as one-sided as it was, and did most of his damage from behind the three-point line. Murray also did well on the glass and finished just a couple of boards shy of a double-double. Thursday marked just the 20th game of the season for the versatile forward who’s had unfortunate injuries in his fourth NBA season. If he can start to string together some games, the rust should come off, and his production could increase.

While Hunter participated in Wednesday’s practice, he is not yet ready to play in games. The good news for the Kings is that Keegan Murray (ankle) will be available for the first time since late January. He should absorb a good percentage of the minutes that would go to Hunter.

Murray, who has only appeared in 19 games this season, has been out since January 4 with a sprained left ankle. While he’s expected to play on Thursday, fantasy managers should anticipate the forward being under a minutes restriction. Precious Achiuwa could be bumped to the bench, especially with the Kings’ lack of healthy post players.

Murray is progressing from his mild left ankle sprain. While the 25-year-old small forward is set to miss another two weeks, at which point he’ll be re-evaluated by the team, he’s been cleared for on-court activities. Murray’s initial recovery timeline was up to a month, but we won’t have another update on his health for an additional two weeks.

Murray suffered the injury in Sunday’s matchup with Milwaukee, and the injury will keep him out through the end of January at the earliest. Precious Achiuwa is the most likely beneficiary of Murray’s absence from a fantasy hoops perspective, but Nique Clifford is also in the mix to see increased run.

Murray left Sunday’s game against the Bucks with a left ankle sprain and didn’t return. The 25-year-old small forward is now ruled out well in advance of Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks. Dennis Schröder is a candidate to pick up minutes with Murray out. Expect another update from the Kings on Murray’s ankle in the coming days.