Weight room work paying off for Keegan Murray early in his 2nd NBA season

DALLAS — Keegan Murray’s debut season in the NBA was impressive.

The Cedar Rapids native and University of Iowa product averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game last season, appearing in 80 games for Sacramento, 78 of those starts, and earned NBA All-Rookie first team honors.

Of course, none of his initial success was surprising to anyone who has watched the Prairie product.

He averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 rebounds as a high school senior to earn Metro Player of the Year honors. At Iowa, he earned first-team all-Big Ten honors and was the Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player and the Karl Malone Award winner as the top power forward in the collegiate game in 2022.

The fourth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Murray finished his rookie campaign by averaging 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in a seven-game loss to Golden State in the first round of the playoffs, the Kings’ first trip to the postseason since 2006.

“Yeah, it definitely helped starting in the playoffs. Once you get past the first couple games, you progress from there,” Murray said during a recent stop in Dallas. “Then, Game 7, you can’t really beat it as a rookie, getting that experience. I’ll just take that for the rest of my career.”

However, the young ex-Hawkeye was far from content because he knew if he was to continue progressing in the NBA, he was going to have to work even harder. And that’s exactly what this talented 23-year-old did in his first full offseason as a professional.

“Yeah, I just try to work as hard as I can in the weight room to be more explosive, be stronger so I’m able to do different things and try to rebound in traffic because that was kind of my flaw last year,” Murray said.

Kings head coach Mike Brown was the 2023 NBA Coach of the Year, the second time he’s earned that honor in his distinguished career, and likes what he’s seen thus far from the ex-Hawkeye in Year 2.

“He’s worked really hard, especially in the weight room. His body has really improved,” Brown said. “He can take a hit and keep step sliding in front of guys. Defensively, he rebounds like a grown man now and it’s only going to get better.

“He can score from two levels, almost three levels now, when he wants. So, he’s made nice strides in his sophomore year and he’s only going to get better as time goes on.”

And Murray feels like he couldn’t have a better coach as a pro than Brown, a seasoned NBA leader known for getting the most out of his players no matter where he’s coached.

“Just the toughness that he brings (is what I love most about him),” Murray said of Brown. “He’s going to push you to your limit. He knows the capabilities I have as a player. He’s always tough on me and I love that.”

Through 13 games in his sophomore campaign. Murray is averaging 13.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and two assists per game. The Kings are off to a 9-6 start, the sixth-best record in the Western Conference and as of Monday were second in the Pacific Division standings.

“It’s been fun,” Murray said of his second season in the Association. “Start of the season, we’re playing well. Kind of know what to expect now. It hasn’t been a hot start offensively, but I feel defensively has kind of been my thing to start the season.”

That defense which Murray speaks of is something which has stood out to Brown about the ex-Hawkeye and several other players already this season — their ability to find other ways to contribute to their team’s success even when shots aren’t falling. It’s a great sign that Brown’s entire roster has a high level of buy-in about the team concepts they have been preaching since he was hired in 2022.

“We have to be able to do that because shots aren’t always going to be able to fall, especially come playoff time. So, we have to be able to win games at times 103-98 or 105-99, whatever it is,” Brown said. “The only way to do that is to believe in your defense and believe that you can bring something else to the table at a high level if that shot’s not falling.

“When you see it, you feel really good about it because all it does is just doubles down on what you’ve been preaching and what the guys need to believe in, especially come playoff time.”

Murray vs. Murray

Murray had another career-first on Nov. 8 as he and the Kings welcomed Portland to Sacramento, which meant he and brother Kris, the 23rd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, squared off for the first time as professionals.

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Kris came off the bench for the Blazers and played around nine minutes while Keegan had nine points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Kings in just over 31 minutes of action in a 121-118 overtime win.

Of course, the Murray parents, including his father, Kenyon Murray, a Hawkeye standout between 1992 and 1996, were front and center to cheer on their own dynamic duo.

“Yeah, it’s cool for sure (to have a brother also in the league). We talked about this a lot growing up,” Keegan Murray said. “Obviously, it’s a unique thing and something that we’ll for sure never take for granted.”

And when they met on the court for the first time in the NBA, the Murray parents hit the arena sporting some rather interesting gear.

“I think my dad wore a Kings jacket and a Blazers shirt. My mom wore a shirt that said I just hope both teams have fun,” Keegan Murray said.

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.