The tank is in full swing in Sacramento, with the Kings seeing two members of their veteran core, former All-Stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine, undergo season-ending surgery to repair their respective knee and finger injuries. With Sabonis and LaVine gone, the Kings are certainly about to cement themselves as the worst team in the NBA, which they currently are at the moment with their putrid 12-44 record.
It may be dire in Sacramento at present, but it's not all doom and gloom, as the Kings have at least few young players on the roster who have shown glimpses of being a member of the next great iteration of the team, with the most prominent being Keegan Murray.
Murray was performing well to start the season, but his progression into becoming the Kings' main man has been halted by his battle with injuries. Nonetheless, with Sacramento's veterans on the mend, Murray now has a huge opportunity in store upon his return from injury.
“I think it’s a big opportunity for me just to kind of grow as a player. I mean, with DeMar [DeRozan] these last couple years, [De’Aaron] Fox guys like that, I haven’t been able to take those big shots and things like that and those in those moments,” Murray said, per Brendan Nunes of Sactown Sports.
“Just to be able to grow in those moments and be able to make and take shots that win or lose games. I think that’s the thing that I haven’t really done in my career so far.”
Keegan Murray to be the main man for the Kings
Murray has indeed not yet gotten the opportunity to be the number one option for the Kings. He may not have that opportunity quite yet though, as DeMar DeRozan is still on the roster and he's been very durable for his entire career.
But the Kings, being in tank mode, should hand over the keys to Murray and the rest of the team's youngsters, including Nique Clifford, Devin Carter, and Maxime Raynaud, so they could at least gauge the talent they have at present.
