Subscribe
Follow Us
The Sacramento Kings will have an important season ahead of them after a defining year that saw them make the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Sacramento finished last year with a regular-season record of 48-34, putting them in third place in the Western Conference and first place in the Pacific Division. They pushed the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but were eliminated in a 120-100 loss at the Golden 1 Center.
The Kings have since added guard Chris Duarte through a trade with the Indiana Pacers in July. The former Oregon guard averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his second season with the Pacers. Sacramento picked up Xavier guard Colby Jones and Furman forward Jalen Slawson in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Kings will have forward Domantas Sabonis and guard De'Aaron Fox under contract next season, according to sports contracts and salaries website Spotrac. Both Fox and Sabonis earned spots on the All-NBA Third Team during the 2022-23 season.
Which Kings player could have a potential breakout year during the 2023-24 NBA season?
Kings Player with Potential Breakout Season: Keegan Murray
Murray, the No. 4 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, played in 80 games and started in 78 during the 2022-23 season. The former Iowa forward earned averages of 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game during last year's regular season. He hit 41.1% of his 3-point attempts, including eight of his 12 tries from beyond the arc during a 20-point win over the Houston Rockets in February.
Murray played and started in seven games for the Kings during their seven-game playoff series against the Warriors, netting averages of 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. The rookie forward showed his fair share of growing pains during the first-round series, but scored as many as 23 points in Game 4 and grabbed as many as 12 rebounds in Game 6.
Article Continues Below
“Yeah, I continue to encourage him, even throughout the game,” Fox said after Game 3, via NBC Sports Bay Area Digital Content Editor Tristi Rodriguez. “It's difficult, especially for a rookie playing big minutes for us all season.
“I mean, he broke the 3-point record for a reason. So we know he's skilled. We know he can play. Obviously, the physicality and everything has risen, the intensity of the game has risen. He struggled a bit, but for us, we want him to get going. We're not going to take that away from him.”
Murray made the NBA's All-Rookie First Team during the 2022-23 season. He joined Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams. Kings general manager Monte McNair had high praise for the former First-Team All-American selection in May.
“A rookie who started seven games in a playoff series, was, I believe, the most winning impact rookie on the court this year,” McNair said, via Rodriguez. “While we didn't ask him to come in and shoot 30 shots, he certainly could have, he was the leading scorer in college basketball last year.
“But to come in and know what we need, which was to actually defend multiple positions, hit shots, cut to the basket, play off of our veterans, I thought it was a fantastic year for him. I wish I could say I knew he was going to come in and shoot 40 percent and hit over 200 3s, but testament to him, he came in and surpassed expectations.”
Murray, along with a handful of other essential contributors, must play key roles in pushing the Kings to another spot in the NBA playoffs. If he can continue to grow with Sacramento's newer and returning faces, he may have a breakout year for the Kings during the 2023-24 NBA season.
