Former Iowa Star Dominates In Heartbreaking Loss

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star put forth a very impressive showing during the Sacramento Kings' NBA season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mar 12, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) shoots the ball while Indiana Hoosiers forward Race Thompson (25) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star and current Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray put forth a tremendous showing during the Kings' NBA season opener on Thursday night.

Murray registered 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three-point range while tying a team-high plus-9 plus-minus and saw a buzzer-beating triple rim out in Sacramento's heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While Murray surely left the game with a sour taste in his mouth after just missing what would have been the game-winning trey, he should take considerable pride in his performance.

The 24-year-old is widely viewed as a potential breakout candidate heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, and he fully demonstrate why against the Timberwolves.

Murray was terrific on both ends of the floor and seems to be adjusting very well to his new role with DeMar DeRozan now in tow for the Kings.

Last year, Murray averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting splits. It was a bit of a disappointing season for the former No. 4 overall pick from an efficiency perspective, especially considering that he shot 41.1 percent from downtown during his rookie campaign.

However, Murray displayed considerable defensive potential, and due to his ability to guard multiple positions and a variety of different types of players, more responsibility has been placed on his shoulders going into his third season.

Murray spent two years at Iowa and recorded 23.5 points and 8.7 boards a night during his final season with the Hawkeyes in 2021-22.