The Portland Trail Blazers have completely turned the page toward a youth movement in the 2023-24 season. Rotation players Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Jabari Walker are all 21 years old or younger. Even veteran starters Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton are 24 and 25 years old, respectively.

Despite the fact that the Blazers and head coach Chauncey Billups have gone young, there is still one young player on the Trail Blazers roster that deserves more playing time – rookie Kris Murray.

Why Kris Murray deserves more playing time for the Blazers

Murray, twin brother of the Kings' Keegan Murray, was the 23rd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Blazers. He was selected by Portland for his size, 3-point shooting, and cerebral play that he showed at Iowa – averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game in his final season.. As a small forward with a jump shot and the size to be a potential plus-defender, Murray was selected as a future 3&D wing for years to come.

While the pro game hasn't slowed down for Murray yet in his limited court-time with the Blazers, he deserves to see more time out there to acclimate to the pro game. The Trail Blazers are starting fellow rookie Toumani Camara at small forward, with Matisse Thybulle backing him up. Camara and Thybulle are defensive-impact players with a nose for the ball.

That's important for the Blazers, but defense isn't necessarily the problem with this team. Portland ranks a pedestrian 15th in defense, while they are second-to-last in NBA offensive ranking. While Murray isn't a guy at this point in his career that's going to jumpstart the Blazers offense, he could stand to get a few rotation minutes each half.

While the Blazers were in the depths of their injury woes, earlier this month, Murray saw action in eight straight games – breaking 17 minutes three times. Since Scoot Henderson and Malcolm Brogdon have rejoined the lineup, after a garbage time fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz, Murray has racked up consecutive DNPs.

Murray should be seeing 10-12 minutes of action per game, most likely at the expense of a handful of Brogdon and Thybulle minutes. Both players are performing quite well for the Blazers, but this season is only about two things: developing the young guys and ensuring as many ping-pong balls as possible for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Giving Murray a handful of minutes each game helps accomplish both goals. Of paramount importance for the Blazers, however, is his development. If Murray is going to be the player that Portland thinks he can become, he needs court time to figure it out. And while he's young, he's not that young by NBA standards. Murray is 23 years old. There comes a time when an NBA player sort of is who he is, and it's usually by 26 or 27 years of age.

Maybe Murray won't end up being the difference maker that his twin brother has shown he can be for the Sacramento Kings, but there's only one way for the Blazers to find out. Portland needs to give Murray some court time to develop his game. While the Blazers have a new G-League team in town (The Rip City Remix) that allows Murray and other fringe youngsters to bounce back and forth between both teams, Murray needs to see NBA level competition a little more consistently. Getting reps in the G-League is one thing, it's another to get a handful of minutes for the Blazers that he can count on seeing every night.

While the Blazers are in a rebuild and not actively trying to win games, Kris Murray deserves to be one of Portland's youngsters that gets to play through mistakes. Murray deserves more playing time.