Murray earns 2022-23 NBA All-Rookie First Team honors

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The NBA end-of-season accolades continue to pour into Sacramento. 

Kings forward Keegan Murray has been named to the 2022-23 All-Rookie First Team, the league announced Monday. 

Murray joins Orlando's Paolo Banchero, Utah's Walker Kessler, Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin and Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams. He received 88 first-team votes and nine second-team votes. 

After being selected by the Kings with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Murray was a key contributor in turning things around in Sacramento. 

He experienced the highs and lows just like any rookie, but he remained even-keeled and confident. Murray played 29.8 minutes per game in the regular season, averaging 12.2 points on 45.3-percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range. 

And it took him just five months to make NBA history after surpassing Donovan Mitchell’s single-season record (187) for most threes made by a rookie. Murray finished the 2022-23 NBA season with 206.

He participated in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend, was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month twice in consecutive months and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting

And after the Kings snapped a 17-year playoff drought, the 22-year-old was the only rookie who played a significant role for his team in the postseason, helping the Kings take the defending-champion Golden State Warriors to Game 7 of their first-round series. 

After struggling in the first three games of the best-of-seven series, Murray averaged 14.5 points on 51.1-percent shooting from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point range, adding 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 35.0 minutes played of the final four games. 

Even though the Rookie of the Year honor was awarded to Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Kings general manager Monte McNair believes Murray was the rookie who had the biggest impact on winning this season.

RELATED: McNair pinpoints Kings' biggest priority going into offseason

He accomplished so much in his first season in the league, and it's just the beginning. 

From being imitated by his coach for his lack of “swag” to his pockets being emptied by his teammate's Chick-fil-A orders, the sky is the limit for Murray. 

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