After Two Games, Keegan Murray To Move Into Kings’ Starting Lineup

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown announced that rookie Keegan Murray will start on Thursday at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The decision comes after Murray performed well in each of his first two games. He missed the season opener but is averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, one assist and one block on 43.8% shooting from 3-point range. He played at least 30 minutes in each game.

The fourth pick emerged as a key player off of the bench for the Kings, but will now bring that production to the starting lineup as the team looks to improve at the start of games.

The move may not change the rotation too much, Brown said.

A lot of the same guys are going to play. If you think about it, Keegan was starting before, he just really didn’t start at the tip but he came in at the four-minute mark. To me, it is all the same.

Entering the season, Brown was non-committal about who would start at power forward. He went with KZ Okpala over the first three games and will now insert Murray into that spot, which could be a permanent move based on how well the rookie has played to this point.

Murray has performed at a high level in each game to this point between the summer league, the preseason and, now, the regular season. He looks poised to have a strong rookie campaign and will now do so as a starter for the Kings.

The Kings and Grizzlies tip off at 10 p.m. EDT on Thursday.