Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray on Thursday started for the first time in his career and performed well in a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Murray produced 18 points and six rebounds in 39 minutes of work in the 125-110 loss at home. He finished by shooting 7-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, as the Kings dropped to 0-4 on the season.
Kings head coach Mike Brown announced on Wednesday that Murray would start after coming off the bench in his previous two games. Brown believed Murray was ready for the challenge after logging heavy minutes in those outings.
Brown liked how Murray performed in that role, despite the loss.
Keegan, again, to me, he can play with the starters or he can play with the second unit. He is going to be good either way. He has just got a great feel and a great demeanor for a young guy.
Let it fly rook! 🙌@keegan3murray | #RoarWithUs pic.twitter.com/eVHEVBL1J0
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 28, 2022
The performance of Murray was likely one of a few bright spots for the Kings in the loss. He continues to have a smooth transition to the NBA and has seldom looked like a rookie in the early going. It resulted in yet another strong effort.
The starting power forward position appears to be his moving forward, a move that was expected at some point this year. The Kings are excited about what Murray brings to the court and will now have the opportunity to see what he can do as a starter.
The Kings return to action on Saturday against the Miami Heat.
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