The Sacramento Kings, in need of a breakout player to come through alongside De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, have had their prayers answered with standout sophomore Keegan Murray. Over the past five games, Murray averaged 22.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 59/47 shooting splits, leading the Kings to four wins.
Murray has been impressive since Sacramento drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but his progression has been outstanding. Averaging 16.2 points per game on the season, Murray has had his ups and downs, but his 47-point performance on December 16th against the Utah Jazz was certainly the highlight of the year.
On his way to 47 points, Murray shot 16-23 from the field and 12-15 from deep, breaking many records but falling two threes short of tying the single-game three-point record set by Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson.
Juan Toscano-Anderson was playing in his first game as a King after being signed just days before, witnessing the record-breaking performance from his new teammate. Toscano-Anderson sat down with us to discuss his latest episode of the docuseries "The Break, Presented by The General" and his time in Sacramento. We asked how he felt during Murray's 47-point game and if he thinks the sophomore wing can be special.
"I think he can be a helluva player in this league; he's a star already," Juan said. "47 is really hard to do in any league. I don't think I've ever dropped 47 in any game... that was impressive. I actually wanted him to break the [three-point] record that night, for his own reasons, but even for selfish reasons. I was there when Stephen Curry broke the three-point record, I was LeBron [James] teammate when he broke the scoring record, and it would've been pretty cool to say 'I was Keegan Murray's teammate when he broke the three-pointers made in a game record'... I'm blessed to play with De'Aaron Fox and play with young talent like Keegan Murray. It's delightful to be a part of."
Toscano-Anderson has played with NBA greats on the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers but is grateful to be a part of something special happening in Sacramento. While many consider Murray a rising star and see his potential, Toscano-Anderson considers him a star already. Kings fans know how special the standout sophomore will be, but Toscano-Anderson thinks he is already at that level.
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