Keegan Murray Finding His Rhythm Amid Kings Winning Streak

There are so many factors that have led to the Sacramento Kings rattling off seven straight wins. Doug Christie took over as interim head coach, Keon Ellis got more minutes and made winning play after winning play, and first-round draft pick Devin Carter made his NBA debut and immediately contributed to winning basketball.

The Kings are rolling, playing for each other, and winning as a team, but one player is quietly hitting his stride in the recent stretch of games; Keegan Murray.

Murray has had a very interesting season so far. He continued to show improvement on the defensive end and off-the-dribble shot creation, but his three-point shot has been MIA throughout most of the year.

That is until his recent return from injury.

Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Over his first 32 games, Murray shot 28.6% from beyond the arc. A far cry from his 41.1% in his record-setting rookie season and a drop from 35.8% last season.

But in the last three games since returning from ankle soreness, he's made 12 of his 22 three-point attempts, good for a 54.5% clip.

Murray has proven he can be an effective player when his three-point shot isn't falling. His defense and improved rebounding alone make enough of an impact when he's on the court. But when he hits his threes, he shows flashes of becoming one of the best 3-D wings in the NBA.

KEEGAN MURRAY. pic.twitter.com/8aDRWIKueN
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 7, 2025

It's a small sample size, but the numbers show a slight change in how the third-year wing is operating on offense, with the main difference being where he's taking his shots.

Murray's field goal attempts have stayed almost exactly the same, as he was taking 10.9 attempts per contest in the first 32 games and 11.0 in the last three.

But breaking them down to two-point attempts and three-point attempts is more telling. Murray has dropped his two-point looks from 5.4 per game to 3.7 and upped his three-point attempts from 5.5 to 7.3.

All season, it looked like the Kings were trying to force Murray into the next step on offense, working to get him involved with off-the-dribble shot creation and driving to the rim. But over the recent stretch, everything looks simplified for the young wing.

Doug Christie has talked over and over about simplifying the game. And for a third-year player who's asked to do a lot on the court, simplifying his offensive role might be exactly what he and this team needed.

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