Former Iowa Star Must Show Improvement In Crucial Area

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star needs to get better in one very important area for the Sacramento Kings.

Nov 15, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) dribbles the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star and current Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray appeared to have a very promising future upon entering the NBA as the fourth overall pick in 2022.

And you know what? Early on, Murray appeared to be on quite a trajectory.

He enjoyed a very impressive rookie campaign, averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds over 29.8 minutes per game on 45.3/41.1/76.5 shooting splits.

Then, last year, Murray logged 15.2 points and 5.5 boards across 33.6 minutes a night while making 45.4 percent of his field-goal attempts and 35.8 percent of his three-point tries.

Kings fans were hoping for a big improvement from the 24-year-old this season, but Murray has not delivered on that just yet.

Through his first 18 games, Murray is posting 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds a night on 42.9/29.5/82.8 shooting splits. Not only has his scoring average dipped, but his percentages have plummeted.

But outside of his declining three-point efficiency, there is one area in particular in which Murray needs to show vast improvement: his free-throw rate.

Murray is getting to the charity stripe just 1.6 times per game, which is identical to last season. As a matter of fact, he has gone without a free-throw attempt in six of his last eight contests.

That is entirely unacceptable for as gifted of an offensive player as Murray, especially considering he attempted 5.4 foul shots per game during his final season at Iowa.

It definitely speaks to a lack of assertiveness on Murray's part. He is not a spot-up shooter. He is someone who can absolutely put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.

So why isn't he doing it?

No one is saying he needs to be peak James Harden, but there is no doubt that in order for Murray to truly establish himself as a serious offensive threat, he must begin drawing fouls much more often.

If he does that, it will begin to open up the rest of his offensive repertoire and allow him to flourish.