Can Keegan Murray Unlock This New Skillset in 5th Season?

The Sacramento Kings are entering a transition season where they have a mix of veterans clinging to the roster and young players coming in to take over in the future. That will likely lead to another season where losses stack up more than wins, but also should allow the Kings to experiment with different lineups and offensive schemes.

With Darius Acuff Jr. coming in as the seventh-overall pick, the Kings have a chance to build a new offensive playbook around the talented young guard. And from what we've seen in college and Summer League so far, it should heavily include pick-and-roll action.

That's an easy sell for the centers, Domantas Sabonis, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, and even forward Precious Achiuwa, but the question is if Acuff and Keegan Murray can develop some sort of pick-and-roll chemistry?

Haven't Seen It Yet

Dec 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throughout his first four seasons, we haven't had a chance to see Murray as the screen setter, as he's predominantly been the beneficiary of Sabonis' screens in the dribble handoff game. While Sabonis is consistently racking up screen assists, as he almost always sits at the top of the stat list, setting screens is something Murray hasn't really been asked to do.

Through his 256 career games, Murray has recorded just 103 total screen assists, according to NBA.com's stats page. Breaking that down per year shows that he's hovered between 0.3 and 0.5 per game every year so far.

2025-26: 8 Screen Assists (0.3 per game)

2024-25: 40 Screen Assists (0.5 per game)

2023-24: 26 Screen Assists (0.3 per game)

2022-23: 29 Screen Assists (0.4 per game)

One of the things that has made Murray so good so far in his young career is his ability to pick up new skills. He's improved on defense, so much so that he's now the team's best perimeter defender, rebounding, and ability to get to the basket. Adding screens would help Murray become one of the most well-rounded players the Kings have had on the roster in years.

Potential for Dynamic Duo

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) drives against High Point Panthers forward Cam'ron Fletcher (11) in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The great thing about Murray setting screens for Acuff is that it would open up a whole new offensive option compared to the centers. Both Sabonis and Raynaud have dabbled in shooting threes, but neither is a true three-point threat, at least not yet for Raynaud. The bigs can certainly role to the basket and get open while Acuff operates, but defenders don't have to glue themselves to the bigs on the perimeter.

Murray, on the other hand, has the shooting skills to keep defenders honest from beyond the arc. Or at least the hope is that Murray's three-point shooting will come back this year after three straight seasons of plummeting to 27.7% last year.

Acuff is so dynamic coming off screens that it could turn into a secret weapon for the Kings. It would also give Murray a chance to get easy buckets from three where he's not shooting on the move as much as when he comes off the handoff action from Sabonis. Either way, it's worth a look as the Kings enter the transition season. Now is the time to experiment with new ideas. Murray unlocking this skill could set the franchise up for success for years to come.

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