While there were many big performances last night in the NBA (Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, etc.), Keegan Murray made perhaps the craziest of all.
Because the Kings winger, expected to be the element that will take Sacramento to a new level this season, has not started his campaign very well, certainly improving his points average, but above all because he takes more shots, while his 3-point average fell from 41% to 30% between his first and second season…
Except that this night, against the Jazz, Keegan Murray recalled that he was a lethal shooter when he was in rhythm.
In a very closed clan
He finished the match against Salt Lake City with 47 points at 16/23 shooting, including an incredible 12/15 at 3-points! Only six players had ever scored as many outside shots in a single game: Klay Thompson (3 times), Stephen Curry (2 times), Kobe Bryant, Donyell Marshall, Zach Lavine and Damian Lillard.
After missing his second outside attempt of the match, he made 11 consecutive 3-point shots, which is a record. Another franchise record this time: his 26 points in the third quarter erased the club's best mark in a quarter, established by Mitch Richmond in 1995. Obviously, he also broke his career record, he who was until now stopped at 30 points, last season against the Rockets…
“I think Keegan played in the right way”reacted Mike Brown. “There was nothing really forced. Our guys didn't really force anything on him. They just found it when it was open. »
While he could have indeed pushed to get Klay Thompson's record (14) in the last quarter, Keegan Murray did not insist after missing his last two attempts by far.
Still a lot of room for improvement
The winger admits in any case to having felt “in the zone” during this record third quarter.
“Keegan never gave up on us”recognized Will Hardy, the Jazz coach. “Every time we made a mistake, he made the shot. The percentages will say that it's not necessarily a realistic performance, but it was one of those nights. Obviously he's a very good young player, and I take my hat off to him. »
“He’s only just scratching the surface of his potential because he’s been asked to do something he’s never been asked to do at the highest level.”could conclude Mike Brown, in particular because Keegan Murray is responsible for defending against the best opposing attackers this season. “With his work ethic, determination, talent and everything else, he has the opportunity to become a top player in many areas. Everyone only sees a small part of it at the moment, but there is a lot of room for improvement. »
