Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Earns Praise For Dominance In Critical Area

This former Iowa Hawkeyes has earned massive recognition for excelling in this area as a member of the Sacramento Kings.

Mar 17, 2022; Buffalo, NY, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) controls the ball against Richmond Spiders forward Nathan Cayo (left) in the second half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes are certainly more known for football than basketball, but every once in a while, their basketball program exhibits some promise.

Iowa did produce Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray, after all.

Murray played two seasons for the Hawkeyes before being selected by the Kings with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, and he has already established himself as a force defensively.

But Murray excels in one area in particular.

In a piece where Mike Shearer of Basketball Poetry lists 10 NBA players who are very proficient in one particular skill, he placed Murray under the category of isolation defense.

This past season, Murray allowed the fewest points per possesion (0.681) of anybody else in the league, an incredibly impressive feat.

It's not like Murray was feasting on poor offensive players, either. Murray frequently drew the toughest assignments and always seemed to rise to the occasion.

The 24-year-old played in 77 games this past season, averaging 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds over 33.6 minutes a night on 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting splits.

Murray's sophomore campaign at Iowa was truly phenomenal, with the Cedar Rapids native registering 23.5 points, 8.7 boards, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals across 31.9 minutes per game. He shot 55.4 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 74.4 percent from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-8 youngster still has a lot to improve upon on the NBA level, but he is already proving to be a valuable asset to the Kings.

We'll see if Murray can take the next step during the 2024-25 season.