A Royal Prospect: Jamal Murray
By Rafe Wong
A Royal Pain continues its series on analyzing players in this upcoming draft and seeing how they would fit if they were selected by the Sacramento Kings.
Today’s prospect will be Jamal Murray out of the University of Kentucky
The Statistics
Jamal Murray stands at 6’5” and weighs 207 pounds, which is a good size for an NBA shooting guard.
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In the only season for the Wildcats, Murray averaged a whopping 20 points per game while shooting 45.4% from the floor and 40.8% from the three-point line. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1 steal per contest.
The Range
According to various NBA mock drafts, Murray is projected to be selected around the #3-7 spots in the draft, which means that if the Kings are interested in drafting Murray this week they most likely will have to trade up in the draft order.
The Fit
If Murray was to play for the Sacramento Kings next season he would immediately be in contention for the team’s starting two-guard spot.
The shooting guards for the Kings last season struggled to make their perimeter shots at a consistent rate, and if there is one thing that Murray excelled at in college was that he can hit buckets.
He will, however, have to improve as a defender to make any positive impact towards the Kings perimeter defense.
He’s not as athletic as NBA teams would expect from a two-guard, but with determination and good coaching he could hold his own defending against professional competition.
Express Yourself
So Kings fans, how serious should the Kings be in drafting Jamal Murray this Thursday? To express your thoughts on the issues, feel free to partake in our survey that is currently up on our Twitter account.
How serious should the Sacramento Kings be in drafting Jamal Murray this Thursday?
— A Royal Pain (@ARoyalPain) June 21, 2016
Rafe’s Thoughts
Murray has the potential to be the sharpshooter that the Kings have been clamoring for in ages. Not only is he a spot shooter, but he can also create shots on his own and has the ability to slash to the basket as well.
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Offensively, Murray has the skills to be a long-term solution to the Kings shooting guard woes, but on the defensive side, he will need to improve immensely if he wants to become a two-way player.
If the Kings are on the clock and Murray is available, it would be a “meh” pick for me.
The Kings have been on this path before where they have selected “sharpshooters” mainly for their ability to hit jump shots, but it showed that the progress they all had in college didn’t translate to the professional level.
When it comes to “sharpshooting” two-guards, the Kings are cursed.
I believe the Kings should focus more on the defensive side of the ball for this draft, but if Murray were to rock the Kings uniform next season I wouldn’t mind it at all.
Rafe’s Comparison: J.J. Redick/C.J. McCollum