Kings' Murray On Developing His Voice in the NBA: 'I Just Do Me'

Sacramento Kings rising star Keegan Murray says he "doesn't really care" about his teammates trying to get him to open up off the court.

Mar 31, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) before the game against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

A rising star in the league but a quiet voice in the locker room, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray is one of the league's more unique personalities. When you think of tenacious defenders, you think of guys who fire the team up and play aggressively. For Murray, he prefers to play his game.

After answering Mike Brown's call to become an effective two-way player, Murray has become a key piece to the Kings' success. The 2022 fourth-overall pick was reportedly listed as 'untradeable' during the summer as he continues to grow on the court. The Kings announced today that they have exercised the fourth-year option on Murray's contract.

Sacramento Kings Exercise Team Option on Keegan Murray  
  
📝➡️ https://t.co/TejwujY8zn pic.twitter.com/CfAyiKEMhX

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 3, 2024

For Murray's teammates, getting him to open up off the court has been a challenge. "[Keegan] can talk this year maybe a little bit more," said Kings star Domantas Sabonis. "He can say good morning when he walks by me. That would help a lot," (per Jason Anderson | The Sacramento Bee).

Keegan knows he's a quiet player, but that doesn't stop him from playing the way he wants (via Sean Cunningham | KTXL):

I'm just gonna be myself. I know I'm effective on the court, so me talking on the court ... it's more of an off the court thing. I don't really care, they never accept that answer. But I talk to Malik [Monk] all the time so I don't know.

- Keegan Murray, Kings

Keegan Murray chats about his Kings teammates continued efforts to get him to talk more, the offensive firepower on this year's squad and the evolution of his defensive prowess. pic.twitter.com/Bldks8Pmey

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 2, 2024

As a man of few words, Murray gets his point across: he's here to play basketball. Obviously, the guys on the team know how talented Keegan is. New veteran DeMar DeRozan has even made it his goal to help Murray develop into the potential he has.

In his young career, Murray is averaging 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and .9 steals per game. On top of solid numbers, the former Iowa Hawkeye has appeared in 80 and 77 games in his respective first two seasons. Reliability is an undervalued factor that Murray brings to the table.

At media day, Keegan Murray said he was preparing to defend larger players this season.

I asked Mike Brown today what he needs to do in order to excel there.

“You’ve got to be able to take that hit, stay strong, continue to step slide and Keegan is heading in that direction.” pic.twitter.com/t1WkB41lKG

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 2, 2024

Heading into the 2024-25 season, Sacramento's roster looks a bit different. DeRozan is likely to push Murray into a power forward role, forcing him to guard bigger players. Murray says it'll "be fun to have another challenge" as he prepares to make the transition to a position he has little experience with (via James Ham | The Kings Beat).

Keegan Murray said he worked to get stronger to play against bigger players this season with the addition of DeMar DeRozan. pic.twitter.com/ddUiYy2jGa

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) September 30, 2024

The Kings will continue training camp as the team faces off against the Golden State Warriors next week in their first preseason matchup.

---

Follow Sacramento Kings On SI on Facebook and X/Twitter

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!