Kings’ Keegan Murray Reveals Adjustments With DeRozan

The young Sacramento Kings forward ensures that his role in the offense will not change.

Sep 30, 2024; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during media day at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings added six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan this offseason, and many fans jumped to ask how the acquisition will affect his new teammates.

Of course, many people look at how the addition of DeRozan should elevate the Kings as a whole, but especially his new co-stars De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Forming a big three in Sacramento is the ideal solution to bring them into contention for an NBA title, but the supporting cast is just as important.

24-year-old forward Keegan Murray was a topic of discussion regarding the addition of DeRozan, as many fans questioned how his presence would alter the development of their rising star.

After Monday's practice, Murray reassured the media that his role in Sacramento will not be affected by DeRozan (via Matt George | ABC10):

I feel like it's almost an 'everyone eats' kind of offense. I feel like my role is not changing. It's been a smooth transition so far. No one has asked me to lay off the gas or anything like that, so just continuing to be aggressive... We're flowing the same, moving around, a lot of ball movement, player movement, things like that. When you need a bucket, I feel like [DeRozan] is the guy to go to.

- Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings

Keegan Murray says his role isn't changing with DeMar DeRozan here.

Turns out, adding a multi-time all-star doesn't outright hurt the development of younger players. pic.twitter.com/Cfs0j5EkXL

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) October 7, 2024

While many people question Murray's development next to DeRozan, the wing duo should actually thrive alongside each other. At his worst, Murray is a prototypical 3-and-D wing but has improved his off-the-dribble scoring and playmaking since his rookie year.

Playing next to DeRozan should bring out all of Murray's strengths, especially his shooting ability as he will be getting much easier looks on the perimeter.

A significant change in Murray's game comes on the defensive end, as the young wing has emphasized his focus on defending bigger players, preparing for a position change to power forward.

While he is making changes on defense, Murray sets the record straight that his role in Sacramento's offense will remain the same, and he should continue developing on his path toward stardom.

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