The Reason Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Is Primed For Massive Leap

One NBA analyst feels that this former Iowa Hawkeyes star will take a major leap for the Sacramento Kings this coming season.

Mar 13, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) celebrates beating Purdue Boilermakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star Keegan Murray is preparing for a pivotal third NBA season with the Sacramento Kings, and Morten Stig Jensen of Forbes envisions big things for the forward.

Stig Jensen has outlined why Murray is due for a breakout year with the Kings, citing Sacramento's addition of DeMar DeRozan as a great complement to Murray's skillset.

"He'll more than likely re-apply his Year 1 sacrifice of leaning into the three-point shot as DeRozan will unquestionably occupy a heavy area in the mid-range," Stig Jensen wrote. "He'll more than likely spend the non-DeRozan minutes viciously attacking the rim, and letting others space for him, instead of the other way around."

The Kings bringing in DeRozan should certainly take some pressure off of Murray heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, especially considering that Sacramento has a couple of other terrific scorers in Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox in tow.

Plus, Murray will be able to feed off of three impressive playmakers in the aforementioned trio.

"With Murray already excelling at playing off of others, he'll now have three elite passers from varying positions to set him up - be that as a shooter, in transition, or as he cuts down the baseline," added Stig Jensen.

Last season, Murray averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds over 33.6 minutes per game on 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting splits.

Those aren't terrible numbers, but it represented a bit of a step back for Murray, who shot 41.1 percent from three-point range during his rookie campaign.

There will also be extra responsibility placed on Murray's shoulders defensively this year, as the 24-year-old will be spending more time at power forward now that DeRozan will be occupying the 3.

Murray was selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, which represents the highest draft pick in the history of Iowa basketball.

We'll see if Murray can elevate his game this season.