3 Young players the Kings must develop, 2 to give up on
By Logan Struck
The Sacramento Kings have had loads of young talent on the roster for years, but they have failed to develop all of the talent that comes in. While there were many dark years of forgotten young talent in Sacramento, recent draft success and prospect development have led to the franchise’s upswing.
The Kings are filled with young talent now, highlighted by their All-NBA duo, De’Aaron Fox, 25, and Domantas Sabonis, 27. Surrounding those two are Kevin Huerter, 24, Malik Monk, 25, and Keegan Murray, 22. Sacramento has a stacked young core.
The Sacramento Kings are set for the next few years due to the development of their new young talent, giving fans hope for the franchise’s direction. While they have a ton of young talent on the roster, they cannot develop everyone. They need to focus on which players will make a difference and set aside the ones they can afford to lose.
3 Young players the Sacramento Kings should develop, and 2 they shouldn’t:
Develop: Keegan Murray
The obvious choice of who the Kings need to focus on developing is second-year forward Keegan Murray. The 22-year-old broke the record for most three-pointers made in a rookie season and is looking to take on a more prominent role heading into his sophomore year.
With incredible performances in the 2023 NBA California Classic Summer League, highlighted by a 41-point outburst, Murray has shown Kings fans and the NBA world that he is ready to become the third star in Sacramento.
With the recent news that Murray will be playing among the league’s best young stars representing the USA, Keegan will further show off the improvements he has made this off-season.
Keegan Murray is ready to take a serious sophomore leap.
While playing in the Summer League, Murray was getting praise from coaches and scouts, receiving comparisons to NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard for his development.
Keegan Murray is on pace to become, not only a third star for the Kings, but an NBA All-Star. Sacramento needs to make sure they keep Murray around and continue to develop him.