California Classic: Kings’ Keegan Murray is a killer, Brandon Miller ghosts
The 2023 California Classic has officially ended after Wednesday night’s match-up between the Sacramento Kings and the Miami Heat. The Kings won the contest 95-83, ending the summer league classic 2-0 after defeating the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
Here is a look into how the hot shots performed tonight.
Keegan Murray proves his rookie year was not a fluke
Keegan Murray absolutely dominated. After tearing through the Warriors with 29 points on Monday, he put up 41 points on Wednesday against the Heat in a convincing win for the Kings’ summer team.
Keeg gets a bucket over three defenders 😳#CaliforniaClassic | Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/ar4yBBG9U9
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 6, 2023
Murray, who was drawing comparisons to NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard earlier, ended with a final stat line of 41 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 4 blocks. He was 11-20 from the field and 6-11 from three, as well as 13-15 at the line. It’s safe to say that he is in a league of his own out there. It is fantastic to see Keegan Murray still putting in work to get better, but the Kings confirmed that this will be Keegan Murray’s last summer league game.
Safe to say the Kings have their next guy to build around.
Golden 1 Center saw attendance from many Kings players such as De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, and newly signed EuroLeague star Sasha Vezenkov.
The Kings’ next summer league game will be Friday, July 7th, as they take on the Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas.
Brandon Miller underperforms – again
Brandon Miller, the controversial second pick of the 2023 NBA draft, did not look his best tonight in Sacramento. In the Hornets’ game against the Golden State, Miller finished with a mere 6 points in a 15-point loss. The Hornets were -22 when Miller was on the floor. To Miller’s credit, he only shot 4 total shots, had 4 rebounds and 7 assists, but had 4 turnovers and 8 personal fouls (in the California Classic, players are allowed 10 fouls before fouling out, as well as numerous other gimmicks).
Miller struggled in the Hornets’ first summer league game against the San Antonio Spurs as well but had noticeably more points with 18 after heating up in the fourth quarter. The Hornets lost by 19 points Monday.
NBA fans are still looking to see the Miller we saw at Alabama, capable of dominating teams and scoring at will. Hornets fans will worry about making the wrong selection after the team passed over Scoot Henderson, but it is important to remember that the summer league rarely showcases how well a player will play in an actual NBA game. Miller should find his footing with the Hornets and perform fine in the NBA.
