When NBA draft pundits assess incoming rookie Kris Murray’s skill set, they often point to his twin brother, Kings forward Keegan Murray.
It makes sense, of course. During their two seasons spent together at Iowa, the best way to tell the difference between the two 6-foot-8 wings was their dominant shooting hand and jersey numbers. Keegan, who shoots right-handed, wore No. 15. Kris donned No. 24 and is a lefty.
Their games are similar in nature, but Kris offers a slightly different style on the floor than his brother, who thrived with the Kings as a rookie this season.
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"We do have a similar game, but there’s a few differences,” Kris said in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports California. “I feel like I’m a little bit more of a playmaker than he is. I feel like I’ve always been while growing up and in high school, prep school. I’ve always been comfortable with the ball in my hands, making the right play and the right reads."
Kris and Keegan only received one Division I offer out of high school in Cedar Rapids. After spending one postgraduate year at DME Sports Academy in Florida, they both landed an offer from the hometown Iowa Hawkeyes.
While Keegan found a role off the bench as a freshman and starred as a sophomore, Kris was one year behind. He played sparingly as a freshman, contributed as a reserve as a sophomore and experienced his breakout campaign this past season, which surged him up NBA draft boards.
Kris consistently slashes to the rim and isn't afraid to bang around in the paint. He is skilled at driving and dishing, setting up teammates for buckets while attacking the rim. And, of course, the shooting runs in the family.
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In 29 games as a junior, Kris Murray averaged 20.2 points on 47.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. He wasn’t quite as efficient as his brother -- Keegan shot 55.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-point range during his last collegiate season -- but Kris attempted over two more 3-pointers per game in 2022-23 and was the main focal point of all opposing defenses.
"We’ve both naturally just been good shooters, playing a lot of 1-on-1 in the driveway growing up,” Kris told NBC Sports California. “I feel like there are subtle differences in our game. Obviously, I’m a lefty, he’s a righty. I prefer going left, making my moves going left. There are subtle differences, but I think playmaking and dominant hand are the biggest things."
It's not like Kris has spent his life living in Keegan's shadow. Kris was a consensus All-American and named to the All-Big Ten first team as a junior. But there will be consistent comparisons to Keegan after his standout rookie campaign with the Kings.
Lofty expectations will follow Kris into his first year, whether he lands in Sacramento, 90 minutes south in San Francisco with the Warriors or elsewhere. Having Keegan's reputation follow Kris around in these pre-draft workouts, though, is nothing but a positive.