During the course of the Sacramento Kings' recent loss to the Detroit Pistons, Keegan Murray left the game early due to right calf soreness. Currently, he is listed as day-to-day, but if it becomes something more serious, the Kings could be in even more trouble than they already are.
Doug Christie said he has no further update on Keegan Murray who sat out the second half with right calf soreness.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) December 24, 2025
On Tuesday, the Kings welcomed the Pistons to the Golden 1 Center for their first meeting of the season. They'll only play against each other one more time on January 23, with that round in Detroit. It's Sacramento's opportunity to even the score and tie their short in-season series.
Unfortunately, the injury bug bit the Kings yet again as Keegan Murray left the game in the first half due to right calf soreness, which is rather vague. No updates have been provided on his condition. On the upside, the Kings had four days off built into their schedule before facing the Mavericks.
Hopefully, Murray will be back in time to take on Cooper Flagg as the Kings are already short Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Drew Eubanks. The rookies are playing well in their stead, including Nique Clifford, who filled in for Murray and had a great second half against the Pistons.
The Kings need a long-term strategy to deal with these injuries
So far, the never-ending barrage of injuries pelting the Kings has been relatively easy to manage. Maxime Raynaud has done a good job filling in for Sabonis, and Dylan Cardwell is doing well covering for Eubanks as his backup. Precious Achiuwa has taken over for LaVine, and is picking up steam.
At the moment, the Kings are doing fine. Well, as fine as they usually are. The concern is what happens if anyone else gets injured. They've already had to resort to giving Dario Saric and Doug McDermott minutes a couple of times, and Doug Christie hates doing that.
These issues increase tenfold if anything happens to Russell Westbrook. Their backup point guard is Dennis Schroder, who doesn't play well as a starter. After that, it's Malik Monk, Devin Carter, and Keon Ellis. Like Saric, Christie seems to hate playing them. Plus, Carter is also injured.
As it stands right now, Keegan Murray being out for an extended period of time again could turn an already terrible season into an absolute nightmare. At the same time, it could be an opportunity for players like Ellis and Carter, whom Doug Christie constantly overlooks, to prove themselves.