Former Iowa Star Mired in Odd, Nightmarish Streak

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star is languishing through a miserable streak with the Sacramento Kings.

December 1, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) dribbles the basketball against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray was viewed as a potential breakout player heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, but the former Iowa Hawkeyes star has not delivered on expectations thus far.

The former No. 4 overall pick is averaging just 12.2 points per game on 41.7/28.7/82.8 shooting splits this season, and he is currently mired in a miserable streak.

Murray has gone five straight games without attempting a free throw and has not gotten to the charity stripe in 11 of his last 12 contests.

The one outlier came on Nov. 24, when he attempted eight foul shots in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

There were very high hopes for Murray heading into the season, particularly after the Kings signed DeMar DeRozan in free agency.

The thought was that DeRozan's presence would open up better looks for Murray within Sacramento's offense which, in turn, would lead to a more efficient season.

But if anything, the 24-year-old has gone backward.

Last year, Murray logged 15.2 points per game on 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting splits, which came after a rookie campaign in which he registered 12.2 points a night while making 45.3 percent of his field-goal attempts and 41.1 percent of his three-pointers.

The one bright spot for Murray has been his defense, as the Kings are 8.7 points better per 100 possessions defensively when the Iowa product is on the floor.

However, offensively, it has been a nightmarish season for Murray, and it doesn't appear to be getting any better.

We'll see if the former Hawkeyes star can break out of it.