The Sacramento Kings’ roster is nearly set for the upcoming season, with some expected additions coming following outstanding performances in the NBA Summer League from a few stand-outs.
In a recent interview with The Sacramento Bee (subscription required), NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had this to say about Kings’ All-Rookie Keegan Murray:
"“I love Keegan Murray, that was a great pick. I saw him a little bit the other night and he’s got a great future. I love that kid”"
Murray is coming off a breakout rookie year that earned him first-team All-Rookie honors. After being shut down from his second run at the Summer League after scorching the competition, Murray now aims for a bigger year than the last after he became a starter nearly immediately for the Kings.
Murray averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game – phenomenal for a rookie year. Just for a small comparison, Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game – in his second year.
While Keegan obviously has lots of work until he reaches Giannis’ level, his star potential is there and he clearly can be the future of the franchise.
Barkley says he wants to see the Kings on the big screen next season
Barkley said this about seeing the Sacramento Kings on national TV:
"“I think the main thing is we got to start putting Sacramento on TV more. They proved last year they deserve to be on TNT and hopefully, they’ll get more games next year.”"
The Sacramento Kings only had six games nationally televised during the 2022-23 NBA season, and zero during the 2021-22 NBA season. After a dominant year that saw them finish on top of a strong division and top three in the West, it is only right that the Kings get more airtime next season.
There is no reason the Kings shouldn’t get more screen time with the star-studded offense of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, freshly Keegan Murray, as well as many other big-name players.
The Kings made history last season by being the highest-rated team in offensive efficiency in NBA history – so the electric team with even more electric fans should be shown on the big screen while “Light the beam!” chants echo throughout Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento Kings shut down stars for NBA Summer League finale
The Sacramento Kings slipped in the Vegas Summer League, but still showed flair from these standout stars - yet the Kings shut them down for the finale.