Unfortunate Keegan Murray Injury Update Crushes Kings' Hopes and Dreams

The Sacramento Kings' poor injury luck continues to pile on with a new Keegan Murray update.

Jan 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) shoots against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Even if you disregard the on-court issues for the Sacramento Kings, this season has been a nightmare with the number of injuries the team has dealt with. 

Domantas Sabonis has been out since November with a partially torn meniscus, Zach LaVine missed nine straight games with a sprained ankle, and Keegan Murray missed the first ten games of the year with a thumb injury. That’s a ridiculous amount of games missed by three of your starters, and now, the Kings are set to be without Murray for another extended period.

Murray is reportedly expected to miss the next three to four weeks with a moderate left ankle sprain.

According to a league source, Kings forward Keegan Murray underwent an MRI after exiting the game in the third quarter of Sunday night's game versus the Bucks. Imaging revealed a moderate left ankle sprain. Murray will be listed as out and will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks.

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 6, 2026

Time To Pack It In

Although their record doesn’t exactly show it, the Kings are a far better team on both ends with Keegan in the lineup. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Kings are 5.7 points better with Murray on the court, and that’s the highest mark among the starters. Keegan has not looked like the shooter he was as a rookie, but he brings so much else to the table that it’s hard to say there’s a more important player than him on the Kings.

Murray is in the 91st percentile when it comes to opponents' effective field goal percentage, with teams shooting nearly 4% worse with him on the floor.

Not only is Murray the Kings’ best help defender, but he’s arguably their best on-ball defender as well. Losing him is sure to hurt the Kings’ already horrific defense, and players like Nique Clifford, Precious Achiuwa, and Russell Westbrook are going to have to step up big time if the team wants to compete. 

Keegan Murray THROWS it down 🔨

pic.twitter.com/KEV4MxA2F0

— Kings Nation (@KingsNationCP) January 5, 2026

The defensive issues are the most pronounced with Murray’s injury, however, he’s one of the most important offensive pieces as well. As I mentioned, Keegan is not shooting the ball well and has converted on just 26% of his triples. The positive to this is that teams are still defending Murray like he’s shooting 40%, which does wonders for the Kings’ spacing. Without Murray, Doug Christie will likely be forced to go with an extremely small lineup or sacrifice shooting in hopes that someone like Eubanks can help them protect the rim and keep pace on the glass.

Silver Linings?

There are truly no positives in terms of actual basketball with Keegan being injured, but there are some long-term benefits. Losing Murray for another month will almost guarantee that the Kings stay near the top of the lottery odds and ensure a solid shot at a top-three draft pick. With the top of the draft being as good as ever, this may be a blessing in disguise for the Kings, who are in a race with teams like New Orleans, Washington, and Indiana for the best lottery odds. 

There’s no telling where the Kings will actually land in the lottery or who they will pick, but getting a better chance at one of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, or Cam Boozer is inevitably a good thing. Sacramento hasn’t had the best lottery luck and have also missed on a few picks, including Devin Carter, who was selected 13th last year. Again, there are no guarantees that any player pans out, no matter where they’re selected, yet this may be the best year in a long time to have a top-three pick.

Nique Clifford is a popular guy 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/gqjz0EQXYa

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 6, 2025

Another sneaky benefit of Murray being out of the lineup is that it creates more opportunities for rookie Nique Clifford. Clifford’s numbers aren’t what you want to see from a top-25 pick, but he continues to grow each game and does a lot of the little things you do want to see. 

One of the biggest positive signs for Nique is that he’s the Kings’ best player in terms of on/off differential. Cleaning the Glass has Clifford in the 89th percentile for on/off rating, with the Kings being 8.6 points better with him on the court. Increased opportunity for Clifford could unlock more of the potential that Scott Perry and the team saw in him at Colorado State, while helping the Kings look more competent on both ends.

Goodnight, Sweet Prince

For Murray’s sake, I have to say I’m a bit happy that he won’t have to be part of this trainwreck of a team for a little while. Keegan is usually one of the most stoic players in the league, but it was clear that the frustration was starting to get to him. 

With even the Play-In Tournament looking like a long shot for Sacramento, the team should have no reason to rush Murray back to action. Although this is a nightmare from a basketball sense, the positive is that things really can’t get much worse for Sacramento.