Former Iowa Star Falling Out of Favor With NBA Team

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star appears to be falling out of favor with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nov 1, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) waits for play to resume during the fourth quarter at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Murphy-Imagn Images / Brian Murphy-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes are certainly not known for producing elite basketball talent, but a couple of terrific forwards did roll through their doors recently.

Twins Keegan and Kris Murray.

Keegan was certainly the better of the two prospects and ended up being selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.

Meanwhile, Kris returned to Iowa for another year and was ultimately chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd overall pick in 2023.

So, has the less-heralded sibling managed to carve out a successful role on the professional level?

Eh, not exactly.

Murray played in 62 games and made 29 starts during his rookie campaign, averaging 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds over 21.7 minutes a night on 39.6/26.8/66.1 shooting splits.

While the 24-year-old is certainly more of a defensive piece, those are still ugly numbers, especially considering he registered 20.2 points per game during his final season with the Hawkeyes.

The problem is, Murray appears to be fallen out of favor in Portland this year.

You would think that Murray would see an uptick in playing time during his sophomore campaign, particularly on a rebuilding Blazers squad.

But the opposite has occurred.

The second-year forward is logging just 13.6 minutes per game this year, recording 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds a night. His efficiency has certainly improved, as he is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range, but his usage has decreased with it.

Portland's offseason trade for Deni Avdija certainly didn't do Murray any favors, but his lack of minutes demonstrates that the Blazers are not exactly in love with his progress.