Keegan Murray

2022 - 6 - 24

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Image courtesy of "Hawk Central"

Why was Keegan Murray the Sacramento Kings' 'unanimous' pick ... (Hawk Central)

The Sacramento Kings selected Keegan Murray with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. General manager Monte McNair detailed why afterwards.

"My job is to build the best team that's going to take the court this year and for years to come," McNair said. Shortly after his selection, Murray said in a live interview on ESPN that the Kings are getting a "winner, first and foremost." McNair confirmed reports that Murray went to dinner with Fox and other members of the team during his pre-draft visit to Sacramento. A glowing review from the current players added another layer of confidence for Kings management that he would be the correct decision. "I don't know how you would say that about a guy who led the led the country in points scored," McNair said. And the fact that he continues to grow like that is another positive as we look into his future." "Keegan (was) one of the most prolific scorers in the country," McNair said.

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Image courtesy of "NBC Sports Bay Area"

Keegan Murray was 'unanimous' Kings choice over Jaden Ivey in ... (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Monte McNair proclaimed Keegan Murray was the Kings' unanimous choice at No. 4 in the NBA Draft. Here's why.

"We want to win; we want to make the playoffs. Although now with the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best, improving young playmakers in the league. Davion Mitchell, selected ninth last summer by the Kings, came into his own as a rookie and averaged a double-double – 19.5 points and 10.0 assists – over the final 10 games of the season. "Keegan is an extremely well-rounded player, two-way player, one of the most prolific scorers in the country," McNair said. ... My job is to build the best team that will take the court this year and for years to come. Ivey might have the higher ceiling of the two players, but he definitely has more question marks than Murray. The Purdue product boasts blinding speed and a unique ability to draw contact and finish at the rim. We’re certainly here to talk about Keegan -- somebody who, I’d say confidently we thought was the best player available at No. 4." But Ivey and his best-in-class athletic ability were regarded by the majority of draft pundits as a tier above Murray in terms of potential to morph into an All-Star. Meanwhile, after shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore, Murray appears to be a catch-and-shoot threat from beyond the arc, a telltale sign of a prospect ready to take on a significant role. Those defensive instincts, as well as his reported 6-foot-11 wingspan, will translate to the next level. " ... Ultimately, after sitting in the room with my front office staff -- our whole staff, our scouting department, our analytics department -- it became unanimous that Keegan Murray was the best player available. Those comparisons will only get louder from here on out, especially considering the Detroit Pistons chose Ivey with the next pick at No. 5.

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Image courtesy of "Sacramento Bee"

Grading the grades: What experts are saying about the Kings ... (Sacramento Bee)

What experts are saying about the Kings 2022 NBA Draft. ESPN, The Athletic and The Ringer all had draft experts who mostly said the Keegan Murray pick is ...

Veccine, who is the site’s draft expert, said he had Murray ranked No. 8 on his big board going into the draft. The draft expert with one of the most comprehensive online draft guides said the Murray pick was a surprise. After much anticipation, the Sacramento Kings took Iowa forward Keegan Murray with the fourth pick of the 2022 NBA draft.

Social Media Reaction To Keegan Murray Draft Selection (University of Iowa Athletics)

Keegan Murray was a three-star prospect out of high school. He was just selected fourth in the 2022 NBA Draft. Kudos to the Iowa Basketball program for this ...

— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 24, 2022 “We think he’s going to come in here and prove that to everyone.”https://t.co/6RBo5TgYjN — Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) June 24, 2022 — NBA Draft (@NBADraft)June 24, 2022 — NBA (@NBA)June 24, 2022 — CBS Sports (@CBSSports)June 24, 2022 — CBS Sports (@CBSSports)June 24, 2022 — Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings)June 24, 2022 — Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops)June 24, 2022 — Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings)June 24, 2022 — Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops)June 24, 2022 — Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings)June 24, 2022

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Image courtesy of "Yahoo Sports"

Monte McNair, Kings confident Keegan Murray will debunk low ... (Yahoo Sports)

New Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray is expected to be an effective NBA player, but the biggest knock on his game is his low ceiling to potentially ...

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Image courtesy of "Local 5 - weareiowa.com"

Sacramento Kings GM calls Keegan Murray pick 'unanimous' within ... (Local 5 - weareiowa.com)

As a sophomore with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Murray averaged 23.5 points per game on 55.4% shooting and led the country in points scored.

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Image courtesy of "Fairfield Daily Republic"

Kings select Keegan Murray with No. 4 pick in NBA Draft (Fairfield Daily Republic)

Jason Anderson/The Sacramento Bee. An evening of intrigue and suspense started when the Orlando Magic selected Duke power forward Paolo Banchero with the No ...

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Image courtesy of "Black Heart Gold Pants"

NBA Draft: Thoughts on Keegan Murray to the Sacramento Kings (Black Heart Gold Pants)

Seriously, this is historic stuff, and probably more incredible than anything the football program has ever achieved under Kirk Ferentz.

Lillard was on the recent NBA 75th anniversary team and probably lands in the Hall of Fame as well (Dame is great, but seriously, that is absurd that he made Top 75 and Klay didn’t). It’s an organization that has made bad choice after bad choice after bad choice and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2005-2006. He certainly stands in stark contrast to the Warriors ownership group 90 miles away that gives zero f**** about the salary cap/luxury tax, to the point that if they re-sign a few of the free agents on their roster (Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Jr., and Gary Payton II the most likely re-signings) it could push their combined salary/luxury tax bill north of $400 million, and actually closer to $450 million. The Spurs were 34-48 and made the last play-in spot. Top 4 overall, in this era with so many foreign-born players making the jump to the NBA??? That is incredibly rare air and a truly amazing accomplishment for Keegan and the Iowa program. This was one of a handful of franchises I didn’t want Keegan to end up with. The University of Iowa Men’s Basketball program had a player selected FOURTH overall in the NBA draft, a truly incredible achievement for a program that was in the midst of a nuclear winter 12 years ago. That out of the way - I know what I said in April when Keegan declared. Chet hasn’t played a single second in the NBA, whereas Giannis is a two-time MVP, won the title a year ago and would have had a shot at a second were it not for Khris Middleton getting hurt in the first round this year, and is pound-for-pound the best player in the world. The overwhelming favorite to be the top pick next year is a Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama. The last two MVPs have been Greek and Serbian, over a 4-season stretch. The pool of players available in a 60-pick draft is exponentially bigger than it was 30 years ago. This is more impressive than any draft pick for the NFL. Basketball is far more global than American football can ever hope to be.

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