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Feb 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) dribbles the ball on a fast break during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Sacramento Kings End-of-Season Report Card: Keegan Murray

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Eric Sperlazza | Last updated May 10, 2025 5:09 PM ET

Every NBA team has a player or two where it’s really hard to see their full impact on a game by just looking at the box score. For Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk rack up a big majority of the shot attempts, which makes it relatively easy to see how they’re influence wins and losses. With so many ball-dominant players on the roster, it’s important for the rest of the team to do some of the dirty work. Keegan Murray is absolutely one of those guys for the Kings.

When Keegan entered the league, he was coming off an All-American year at Iowa where he was undeniably one of the best players in the nation. I’m positive that Mike Brown and Monte McNair saw defensive potential with Keegan, but it’s very clear his offense was why he was selected. Murray hit the ground running in Sac, shooting 41% from three and breaking the record for most triples made as a rookie.

After a great rookie season shooting the ball, Keegan’s averages dipped a bit in his second season, where he shot 36% from deep. Fortunately, Keegan was able to develop another part of his game, which made up for his shooting drop-off. For a team that constantly struggled to defend, having Keegan turn himself into a very capable wing defender was very welcome. Night after night, he would defend the opposing teams’ best player and make them work for every single point they got.

Among players who have guarded at least 40 isolation possessions, Keegan Murray has allowed the FEWEST points per possession (0.51)

Opponents are 7/43 (16.3%!!!) against Keegan in ISO. His vast improvement in on-ball defense, screen navigation, & physicality have been noteworthy pic.twitter.com/5QeU69wrBD
— NBA University (@NBA_University) January 30, 2024

While Keegan’s defense continued to improve in his third season, let’s talk about how he did elsewhere.

The Good

First off, Keegan’s defense was otherworldly this season and Sacramento likely wouldn’t have had a prayer against any of the league's best wings without him. While he continues to be left out of all defensive team conversations, Murray is absolutely on that level.

Many great defenders excel in one specific facet, but Keegan is one of the few who can be as good on the perimeter as he is in the paint. Being on a defensive list with Alex Caruso, the Thompson twins, and Jalen Williams is generally a good thing, and that is exactly where Murray found himself this season.

Only 5 players finished 85th percentile or higher in Rim Protection and Perimeter Isolation Defense

1. Alex Caruso
2. Amen Thompson
3. Jalen Williams
4. Keegan Murray
5. Ausar Thompson
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) April 19, 2025

Keegan’s ability to defend the rim and guard some of the best players in the league out on an island would be well worth a big contract extension even if he doesn’t return to being a 40% shooter. On top of his elite isolation and rim defense, Keegan was also great as a “chaser” following players off-ball through screens and preventing them from getting good shots.

The top 10 in Off-Ball Chaser Defense

1. Quentin Grimes
2. Keegan Murray
3. Jalen Brunson
4. Austin Reaves
5. Luguentz Dort
6. Andrew Nembhard
7. Darius Garland
8. Vince Williams Jr.
9. Kelly Oubre Jr.
10. Norman Powell

Metric Explainer pic.twitter.com/GaKOityBAW
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) January 13, 2025

Another aspect of Keegan’s game that was much improved was his rebounding, jumping from 5.5 to 6.7 this season. Murray constantly crashed the glass and gave the Kings a lifeline if Sabonis was boxed out or on the perimeter, creating more opportunities for Sacramento and ending possessions for opponents. Even though he is mildly undersized, Keegan plays the 4 for the Kings, and his ability to hold his own on the boards makes it much easier to keep him on the floor against bigger lineups.

While he didn’t shoot the ball well, Keegan was great attacking the basket. More often this season than ever before, Murray would put his shoulder into a defender and get all the way to the basket. Once he got into the paint, Murray was also a great finisher, shooting 77.4% in the restricted area.

Kings still rolling as Keegan Murray drives and throws down a dunk, taking him up to 17 points on 7/11 FG. pic.twitter.com/eaeEeNioK4
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 28, 2025

The Bad

With Keegan, there really isn’t that much that he doesn’t do well. Unfortunately shooting is one of those things right now. While it’s clear Keegan can still be a great shooter, his average dipped again this season to just 34%. Whether it was the new additions causing issues or the turmoil off the court, Murray just didn’t have it going like fans were used to.

One more area that could be improved for Keegan is his playmaking. He was solid when looking to attack on his own, but him being able to make plays for others would be a huge step in his offensive evolution. With a lot of high-level scorers on the roster, a secondary playmaker would be huge for Sacramento.

I’m sure I’m not alone in missing Keegan’s rookie year shooting, but luckily, he does so many other things so well. For most players it would be very challenging to give out a good grade after shooting below league average from three and only averaging 12 points per game, but Keegan isn’t most players.