Keegan Murray is turning heads as he enters his second NBA season.
Murray, a surprise addition to the Kings’ California Classic roster, stunned teammates at a recent scrimmage with pure dominance, and that moment gained him a comparison to a five-time All-Star.
“Keegan just exploded in one of these scrimmages,” Kings summer league coach Luke Loucks said Monday after a 100-94 win over the Warriors at Golden 1 Center [h/t Sacramento Bee]. “... Everyone in the gym -- it was almost silent. Everyone could just feel how good he is. Obviously, that’s what we expect from him at this level of summer league, and it’s something we’re pushing him to do.
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“After the scrimmage, one of the scouts pulled me aside and was like, ‘The closest thing I’ve seen to what I just saw was Kawhi [Leonard] in Year 2.’ It wasn’t that Keegan is Kawhi or Kawhi is Keegan, but the step from rookie season -- oh, you have a pretty good rookie -- to holy smokes, this guy could be exceptional. And I think we’re all seeing it as an organization.
“We’re all feeling it, but we’re also pushing him to believe in that.”
Leonard averaged 7.9 points in 24 minutes per game as a rookie playing for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. He carved out a consistent role in his sophomore season, logging 11.9 points per game while starting to show signs of being a true two-way wing. Murray logged 12.2 points per game as a rookie while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Kings expect big things from Murray in Year 2, and it didn’t even take him 60 seconds to assert dominance in Sacramento's summer league opener.
NBA
On one of the opening possessions of Monday’s game, Murray grabbed a rebound and dribbled coast-to-coast before exploding for a posterizing dunk at the other end.
Murray was more aggressive and shifty dribbling the basketball Monday night than what we witnessed last season. He even made a defender touch earth with a nifty move driving into the paint.
Murray established himself as a reliable (and record-setting) catch-and-shoot threat last season, but the Kings envision more playmaking in his game. It appears Murray plans to add that to his bag heading into next season.
If he does, look out.