Murray officially first Hawkeye to crack top five, joins Sacramento Kings
By Dallas Jones
IOWA CITY, IA- After one of the most impressive individual seasons we have seen from a Hawkeye basketball player, Keegan Murray was selected fourth by the Sacramento Kings.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1540130981121708032?s=20&t=kOGbUKLbvjchLlCMhT6OGg
He show himself to be one of the most consistent and NBA ready players in the country posting a 23/8/2 line on 55/40/75 splits.
Former Iowa guard Fred Brown was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the sixth pick overall in the 1971 draft, while forward John Johnson was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the seventh pick of the 1970 draft, and former point guard Ronnie Lester was picked 10th overall by the Portland Trailblazers in the 1980 draft.
Brown, Johnson and Lester are the only former Hawkeyes to have been selected in the top 10 of the NBA draft.
My ceiling for Keegan would be Rudy Gay or Danny Granger, his playmaking is not a main focus of his game and he has shown ability to be an elite three level scorer on the court.
We will half to watch and see how he develops on the defensive end. He has great length for his size, but NBA speed will be an adjustment from the Big Ten.
This season was really special to watch man pic.twitter.com/Hymt6TmTVz
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) March 29, 2022
Why he fits with the Kings:
Sacramento is a place that have been in need of a true wing for over a decade. They have locked in their star point guard in De’Aaron Fox, paired with one of the best passing big men that the league has to offer in Domantas Sabonis.
Those two combined for over 40 points and 11 assists a game. Surrounding an elite slashing guard and dominant big with wings who can stretch the floor and defend is a recipe for success in this league.
The Kings have a league high 16-season drought from the post season and after trading for Sabonis and extending Fox, it seems that Keegan will be another key piece in bringing the Sacramento Kings back to the postseason.
Keegan will also find himself joining another Iowa native in Harrison Barnes, who is currently under contract until the end of next season.
Keegan could find himself in a similar role as Barnes did when he joined the league with the Warriors. He will half to earn his stripes(and shots) in a fast league that waits for no one.
Why he should not have flew under the radar:
You may see a lot of media outlets talking about Keegan’s unlikely journey compared to his peers and many will ask how Keegan stayed under the radar.
We sure all of these guys are better than Keegan Murray? https://t.co/ObKQBS7AYR
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) November 10, 2021
The simple answer is that people just weren’t watching the games. It only took about ten games in black & gold for me to see the potential number fifteen had.
December 29th, 2020, the 6-1 Northwestern Wildcats came to Iowa City to meet the 7-2 Hawkeyes.
Keegan Murray is special
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) December 30, 2020
While at this time the team was headlined by Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp, Keegan came off the bench and played twenty one minutes with nine points and two steals.
That stat line may not jump out to you, but in those minutes you could see how easily he could change games in a huge way and that is an ability not many guys have as a freshman.
Though his stats from last year might not stand out (7.1pp/5.3rpg), he was playing the sixth man role on possibly the most talented Iowa roster in the last two decades.
Once Keegan Murray gets more comfortable on offense, he will be one of the best players on the team
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) January 17, 2021
He turned those numbers into 23.5ppg, 8.7 rpg along with a steal and a block on 55/40/75 splits. The ability to adapt in any situation or team makeup is a huge reason why we have seen him catapult unlike anyone else in this class.
Now it is time to see how he performs on the biggest stage.