Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Sadly Approaching Bust Territory

Heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, you would have thought that Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray would be getting more opportunities.

After all, the Blazers are a rebuilding team that surely wants to get their young players as many chances as possible, so Murray seemed like a natural candidate to show some growth.

Instead, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star has gone backward.

After averaging 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during his rookie campaign, Murray's numbers have dipped to 4.1 points and 2.2 boards a night in Year 2.

He is shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and just 26.8 percent from three-point range, and he has gone an ugly 14-for-32 from the free-throw line.

On top of that, Murray's minutes have decreased. He logged 21.7 minutes per game last season, even making 29 starts. This year, he is down to 13.8 minutes a night and hasn't started a single contest.

It seems pretty evident that head coach Chauncey Billups has lost some trust in Murray, as there is no other way to explain his rather stark reduction in playing time.

The Iowa product was selected by Portland with the 23rd overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, and it's beginning to look like Murray is simply not a feasible rotation player on a good NBA roster.

Of course, it's still very early in Murray's career. He is only 24 years old and definitely has time to turn things around.

However, it's obviously concerning that he has actually regressed during his sophomore season, especially considering the fact that it's not like he lit it up in his debut campaign.

Hopefully, Murray can right the ship, but his future doesn't look promising at the moment. At least not with the Blazers.