3 Things that need to happen for the Sacramento Kings to avoid disappointment in 2024-25
By Mat Issa
#2: Keegan Murray takes a step forward
While DeRozan was the biggest offseason addition, the biggest swing piece for the Kings' future is their soon-to-be third-year forward Keegan Murray.
DeRozan, Fox, and Sabonis are all great players, but at the end of the day, they are all flawed superstars (for the reasons we highlighted in the last slide). When you have flawed stars, you need to flank them with top-notch role players.
As we saw last year with OG Anunoby and the New York Knicks, having an elite role player can make a huge difference. Now, Anunoby is an elite role player (93rd percentile Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes). So, it isn't fair to hold everyone to his standards.
But Murray isn't everyone. Last year, he flashed the potential to become the type of role player we are talking about. So, if he doesn't take a step towards that next season, it would be a major disappointment.
But what does that step forward look like?
The first key is a return to form from the 3-point line. Murray is a great shooter (41.1% from three as a rookie). Unfortunately, last year was a down year for the forward (35.8%). Great shooters are prone to down years from time to time, so that isn't too much of a concern. But still, Murray needs to get back near that 40% mark to maximize his effectiveness on the court.
Murray also needs to become a more confident driver. Last season, he finished in the 35th percentile in drives per 36 minutes (4.5 drives per 36). The goal should be to get that mark closer to the league average (or better, if possible).
Lastly, Murray will need to maintain his stellar defense from last year, where he finished in the 90th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (DEF EPM).