Kris Murray Grows During NBA Draft Process

Junior Looks Forward to Applying Lessons Learned During Junior Season with Iowa Basketball

Iowa's Kris Murray shoots over Illinois' Coleman Hawkins (33) during a game on Dec. 6, 2021 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

Going through the NBA draft process was something Kris Murray felt will help him become a better player.

Now he comes back for his junior season at Iowa with a new perspective, and knowing the expectations that are ahead.

Murray announced on Wednesday that he would return to the Hawkeyes, hours before the deadline to withdraw from the draft.

The education he received was helpful, he said during Thursday’s media availability.

“I’d say being able to grow and make the right decisions has always been something that I've been able to do in my basketball career so far,” Murray said. “And I think I've matured, especially on the mental side of basketball. And just kind of learning what it takes to become an NBA player, I think that’s the biggest thing I took from this process.”

Murray’s twin brother, Keegan, dominated last season, ranking fourth in the nation in scoring while earning consensus first-team All-American honors.

Now Kris wants to be just as much of a factor for the Hawkeyes this season. And he understands the expectations that go with his return.

“I’m definitely going to have a bigger role than I had last year, that’s for certain,” Murray said. “I’m excited for the challenge. I want teams to have me on the top of their scout, I want to be the focus of their defense. I’m excited for that because I think my game can evolve in different ways. I’m ready for this challenge.”

Murray made a big jump last season, becoming a key player off the bench for the Hawkeyes. He played in 35 games, starting once, after playing just 41 minutes as a freshman. He averaged 9.7 points and had 149 rebounds.

Going through workouts with NBA teams gave Murray a better glimpse at his game.

“There’s just a couple of things that might change your game fully,” he said. “I think that's what I worked on the most was just taking like different feedback from teams and just kind of trying to make improvements on my game in that sense.

“There’s a lot of things I took away from them. I improved a lot, and the person who was working us out noticed that too. Even though I might not be able to see it myself, others noticed. I thought that helped my confidence a lot. Something that I lacked a little bit last year was just making quick decisions. I think we really harped on that these last couple of months, and I think that’s going to help me.”

It wasn’t an easy decision to return for another college season.

“There was definitely interest throughout this whole process, and I just kind of had to weigh both options,” Murray said. “I have no guilty conscience about not staying in the draft at all. I’m so excited to be back. It was definitely a tough decision, probably the biggest one that I’ve made in my life, but I’m happy with the decision I made.”

Now Murray faces playing without his brother, who is expected to be a high first-round pick. Murray said he can’t remember a time when the two weren’t on the same team.

“I think it will be good for us. It will both grow our games even though we played with each other for who knows how long,” he said. “It’ll definitely be different. But it will be something I will be excited to get used to.”

He got to go against his brother during the workouts.

“I mean, Keegan’s never really been able to guard me,” Kris said. “You’re going to go at him, especially since where he’s supposed to be drafted. He’s not going to have anything easy, I guarantee that.”

Murray knows his own challenge awaits this season.

“I feel good about myself and my game, and I’m excited for the pressure, the high expectations,” he said. “Everything that comes with it.”