Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair has a simple NBA Draft philosophy: take the best player available. Their No. 4 overall pick was highly coveted. They entertained trade offers and explored several possible selections, including Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin, but ultimately one player rose above the rest.
“After sitting in the room with with my front office staff, coaching staff, scouting department, our analytics department, it became unanimous that Keegan Murray was the best player available and we jumped at the chance to select him,” McNair said to reporters after the draft.
The Kings made the former Iowa star the highest drafted player in Hawkeyes men’s basketball history. Murray emerged as one of college basketball’s premier players last season, McNair stated that the Kings had been targeting Murray since his freshman season. His All-American campaign just confirmed their initial interest.
“Keegan (was) one of the most prolific scorers in the country,” McNair said. “Blocks steals, rebounds: he impacts the game in so many ways. We talked about versatility, (he is) somebody who can play inside, inside and out on offense, somebody who can guard multiple positions on the defensive end. And somebody who was one of the best players on one of the best teams in the country all year long.”
Murray will join a Kings’ core that features two highly-drafted, young guards in De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell and NBA All-Star forward/center Domantas Sabonis, whom the Kings acquired during last season’s trade deadline. McNair said first-year head coach Mike Brown won’t pigeonhole Murray into one position; the plan is for the combo forward to fit into several lineup variations.
Regardless of position, Murray (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) helps with several needs for the Kings including size, length, defensive ability and shooting. Another positive selling point for McNair was Murray’s path to this point. He was both a key bench player and the No. 1 option on Iowa — the ability to thrive in both roles will allow him to transition well onto a team with established pieces.
“The things he does on the court show up even in smaller samples,” McNair said. “That just gives you even more confidence that you know, this guy was able to impact the game in a smaller role off the bench and then come in and be the go-to star (Iowa) needed this year when he was given a bigger role. And the fact that he continues to grow like…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Basketball | Hawkeyes Wire…