The Sacramento Kings' season is only 14 games deep, and it's already not looking good. Right now, fans are hoping for any kind of miracle to save the season. That's not likely to be Keegan Murray, whose hotly anticipated return will not ignite a team already on the ropes.
As it stands right now, the Kings are 14th in the Western Conference with three wins and 11 losses. They're only one win ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, meaning Sacramento could quite easily slide into last place behind the team that's currently at the bottom of the conference.
It's already reached a point that the fans in Sactown are looking for any rays of light in the darkness, which are few and far between. Russell Westbrook is arguably the best player on the team at this point, though that's not exactly a hard bar to get over at this point.
The return of Keegan Murray
During the preseason, Keegan Murray sustained an injury that has kept him off the court for the entire season to date. There are no official announcements about his return, but Murray is practicing with the Stockton Spurs in the G League. He's at least getting closer to a return.
Keegan Murray has just been cleared for 5 on 5 contact and will be in Stockton but is expected to join the Kings in OKC and hopefully make his season debut sometime during the 10 day road trip. pic.twitter.com/agvp5mUT3P
— KingsMuse (@kings_muse) November 17, 2025
There's no doubt that the Kings need him on the court. He's a great shooter who will help with spacing and can also be a tenacious defender. Losing him before the season even started was a huge hit for Sacramento.
Murray is one of their starters. It's been hard for the team to find a rhythm, and they have gone through several iterations of the starting lineup. Keegan's return could bring some balance back to the starting five, which would at least give them a place to begin.
Kings need to keep the pressure off Murray
Fans will be tempted to look at Murray as a savior for the Kings' season. That's not going to happen as the franchise is far too broken for any player to fix by themselves. You could drop Nikola Jokic in the middle of Golden 1 Center in a purple and black jersey, and the Kings would be about the same.
The danger is that Keegan Murray returns to the lineup with that kind of pressure on him and folds under it. There's no doubt that he is a top-tier player, but he's not going to rescue the franchise. He is still young and needs to be given the chance to grow and develop as a player.
That's doubly true considering he's been on the bench recovering for weeks, and hasn't played an NBA game since last season. If the Kings give him time to find his rhythm and keep growing, he could eventually be the guy at the center of the much-needed rebuild.