iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Big moment, congrats to them!
Looks like they were both pretty nervous and accidentally put on each other’s pants.
Looks like they were both pretty nervous and accidentally put on each other’s pants.
Keegan “KEEGAN MURRAY” Murray
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Caccia
Starter
No, he's not smiling.
Indeed. At that moment, he is saying, "I gaucho back."
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Good sign. He actually had a look in his eyes there
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Keegan is shooting over 39 percent from 3 in 2025. Basically did the same thing last year. Figure out the early issues (im looking at you, November) and he is one the best 3 and D plus guys in the league.
He was good last year on defense but has ascended into great this season. He isn’t as aggressive defensively as guys like Keon/Camara/Daniels so he goes unnoticed. He should have a chance at an all defense team next year
He was good last year on defense but has ascended into great this season. He isn’t as aggressive defensively as guys like Keon/Camara/Daniels so he goes unnoticed. He should have a chance at an all defense team next year
chief bromden
Starter
I really enjoy his shot blocking prowess. I love Keon in the lineup with him because it puts Keegan closer to the hoop on D, and the Kings desperately need any rim protection they can get.
Watching him go supernova was really fun today.
He also defends more with his body than his hands so he doesn't get a ton of the sexy stats, but a missed shot is a missed shot.
Incredibly frustrating we're still bad on D with defensive talents like Keegan and Keon (and maybe Carter, but quick look at him should see him being a ++ defender) because we can't figure out to get them on the floor together for big minutes.
It's easy to forget, this dude was far and away the best scorer in country his last year in college. He's developed into this superb 3&D dynamo wing in the NBA, but a lot of it's because he's willingly accepted that role and embraced it on a team that's carried a ton of high USG players over his 3 years.
It's also one huge reason i'd like to get more balance in the starting 5 to allow him to climb his USG too. And not just be stuck in that HB role.
coolhandluke
Starter
Once he improves his handles and learns to pick his spots on the floor, he will become a star. He has a great shooting touch and is not fazed by big moments.
Srzly
G-League
Keegan just plays winning basketball. He plays the role he is asked to play. He never plays selfish (though I think he needs to be more selfish) and doesn’t play for stats. Makes the extra/right pass. He has been asked to be a 5th option and THE defender in the starting lineup for most of this year—I’m so happy to see Keon now in the starting 5… the impact when these two play together is impossible to ignore.
Extremely efficient last night on offense and was his usual self on defense. Great game from him.
My only hope is he keeps this confidence moving forward. He has the potential. As you mentioned, anyone who watched him at Iowa knows he can score. His handles have definitely improved throughout this season and it seems like he has really adjusted to his added muscle.
Padrino
All-Star
This roster is going nowhere fast under its current construction, but I will maintain my quite possibly ludicrous evaluation that Keegan Murray could very easily by on a Kawhi-lite kind of trajectory. If he's coached into a slightly more selfish posture by someone who understands his value, and if doesn't have to play alongside a bunch of usage-munching offense-first types, I think my prediction could very well come to pass. And oddly, I think the lessons he's learned while having to constantly defer will serve him quite well in the event that he finds "the next gear".
His last 3 months:
Jan- 12.8 PPG, 58.6% TS, 14.1% USG, 37.8% 3 (6.3 3PA)
Feb- 13.5 PPG, 61.4% TS, 15.1% USG, 40.6% 3 (5.8 3PA)
March- 14.0 PPG, 60.2% TS, 15.8% USG 40.2% 3 ( 6.8 3PA)
And when you add in his defensive contributions, you're getting an incredibly valuable 2-way player. These are the sort of markers you look for in a guy that's waiting to take the next leap; incredibly effective/efficient over a good sample of games.
So now that we're back to this point to where we can believe in his ceiling again and gotten over the early season struggles, it's can he sustain this with a 20% USG while still playing the level of defense that he does? Can he get to 8+ 3PA/game at the 38%+ mark, instead of the 5.5-6.5 mark?
Srzly
G-League
I hope that is true. Would love to see Keegan develop more of a midrange turnaround like DeMar has mastered. He has the size/length to shoot over guys.
Either way, nice to see since I have seen a lot of Keegan hate from Kings fan on other sites for some reason but seems like most in the org and media that pay attention are high on him. He played really well the second half of the season right up until this recent back injury seemed to set him back a bit offensively these last couple of games.
As a side note: I thought last night he got hacked multiple times in that 1st half on drives and even saw him throw his hands up wanting a call a couple of times which I haven’t seen all season.
SLAB
Hall of Famer
Sounds like us after his rookie year. I just do not see it happening.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
This is the first summer where Keegan doesn’t have to worry about babysitting Fox’s kids lol
serbiangoat
Starter
I think prime Batum minus the above average passing ability/worse perimeter skills while being physically stronger is what prime Keegan is shaping up to be which is a very good player but a guy you always feel can do more and you wait for it but never comes.
