Kings’ Keegan Murray leaves Pistons game with calf injury

The silver lining to the Sacramento Kings’ ongoing injury woes is that Keegan Murray has received more opportunities on offense lately. Considering all the question marks surrounding the franchise, management earnestly wants to see the former No. 4 overall draft pick take the next step in his development. However, that can only truly happen if he is on the court. Murray suffered a right calf injury in Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons and will not return, per Brenden Nunes of Sactown Sports.

The 25-year-old forward finished with only two points on 1-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes. Sacramento is in a big hole during the second half. Murray helped the Kings snap a five-game losing streak after scoring 26 points on superb 64.3 percent shooting in Sunday’s 125-124 overtime win versus the Houston Rockets, so fans were hoping a surge was coming. Unfortunately, the team slid right back into despair.

There is a good chance Sacramento (7-22) heads into Christmas with the worst record in the Western Conference. The fan base has little reason to believe in this organization. It is painfully obvious that a drastic identity shift is needed. Yes, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine’s injuries are definitely contributing to the disappointment, but even a healthy version of the Kings offers limited upside.

The front office must determine who on the active roster fits the squad’s long-term plans. Keegan Murray could be one of the few players who falls under that category. He is scoring 15.9 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. If the former Iowa Hawkeyes star can improve upon his brutal 26.7 percent shooting from 3-point land, then he should indeed level up.

The Kings signed Murray to a $140 million contract extension in October, showing just how much they believe in him moving forward. Hopefully, he will make a swift recovery and validate their faith.