"He beats me at most other things": Keegan Murray on being De'Aaron Fox's teammate, looking ahead to Kings' 2023-24 season and more (Exclusive)

To his own surprise, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray set the NBA record for most 3s made in a rookie season (206). How will Murray follow up with an encore?

“Hopefully beat my mark from last year,” Murray told Sportskeeda. “I’m trying to stay above 40%.”

Murray didn’t have a chance to establish that rhythm in the Kings’ pre-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at Honda Center. The Kings’ sat Murray out after suffering soreness in his right thumb after bumping it during Tuesday’s practice.

While wearing protective wrap around his right thumb, Murray told Sportskeeda that he felt fine. Kings coach Mike Brown added the medical staff told him “there’s not much concern.”

That should be good news for Kings fans considering Keegan’s high ambitions for his second NBA season. Keegan spoke to Sportskeeda about his growth as a shooter, his growing relationship with Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox and more.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What were your off-season highlights?

Murray: “It was just being around the facility and around a lot of our guys. We had a lot of guys staying in Sacramento. So we were competing every day. Obviously, Fox was there so I was able to build a connection with him off the court. That was really cool. I feel like I progressed a lot with being in Sacramento and being with our coaches.”

Mike [Brown] has told me and other media members that De'Aaron Fox has really taken you under his wing. What has that done for you so far?

Murray:

“He’s helped add different elements to my game. I feel like being with him raises my competitive level. When you’re seeing someone as good as him in a workout, I want to live up to him. It motivates me even more and more to add different stuff to my game and be better with finishing the basketball.”

You’ve also been working on other parts of your game with your ball handling and trying to play more on the ball. What will that do for you?

Murray:

“I’ve been consistent every day with it and found a routine with it. I’m putting myself in different situations, whether it’s in pickup or one-on-one to work on it and expand on that part of my game.”

Does Fox talk a lot of trash to you and try to challenge you? How does that play out?

Murray:

“Yeah, yeah (smiles). He talks stuff to me every day. We’re both really competitive with each other. That’s a good dynamic to have. That helped a lot during the offseason. It’s day-to-day, pushing my buttons to get me going and things like that. It’s like a big-brother, little-brother relationship. It’s fun to be around him.”

Have you beaten him in anything yet?

Murray:

“Yeah. I beat him in spots one-on-one. I haven’t beaten him in a series, but he hasn’t beaten me in any shooting stuff!”

How has he reacted when you beat him in shooting contests?

Murray:

“When I win, it raises his level of intensity. That’s good, especially in an offseason workout.”

De'Aaron Fox reacts after he dunked the ball against the Warriors

What has he beaten you in?

Murray:

“He’s beaten me in a lot of other things. He beats me in most things, to be honest, besides shooting. He talks. After we’re on the court, we go lift together. Then he spends about an hour talking about it.”

The trash-talking aside, what is Fox like as a leader overall?

Murray:

“I’ve only been here for a year or so. But compared to last year, I feel like he’s become a lot more outspoken and being more involved with telling us what is on his mind. I talk to him in huddles and talk to him on the court. It’s been cool to see his progression.”

What were the highlights of being “Uncle Keegs?”

Murray:

“Watching him to grow up, to be honest. I’ve been with him with Rain since he’s been an infant. He’s crawling and stuff like that. It’s been cool to see.”

You said that you didn’t expect that you’d set the NBA rookie record for 3s. How do you wrap your head around that milestone?

Murray:

“When I did, I was in the moment. I didn’t think big picture on what that was like. Once I got in the offseason, I sat down and realized what I did. It was special to have that under my name. In my freshman year in college (at University of Iowa), I shot only 29%. I look back at that year and my progression from then to become the best rookie shooter of all time.”

From a shooting standpoint, how did you get from there to here?

Murray:

“I took the biggest leap going into my sophomore year in college with finding those reps in the offseason every single day. Going into the NBA, there’s obviously a difference in the ball and a difference in the length of the 3-point line. I felt like that went smoothly. Once I was able to catch onto that, I just felt confident.”

Once you got to the NBA, what were the other differences you noticed specifically with how to shoot in the context of the game and where you are on the floor?

Murray:

“One of the biggest things in the NBA is to make shots to stay on the court. That was a big emphasis for me – to hit open shots. Once people recognize you, they’re chasing you a lot and getting in your body. It’s about being able to adjust and shoot on the move.”

On Paul George’s podcast, PG and Klay Thompson considered you one of the best shooters in the league. How did that register with you when you heard that?

Murray:

“That was cool because those guys have their history and are really good players in this league. It’s cool to have that recognition from top guys in the league.”

One of the things that Klay said was how dangerous it is to leave you open. What do you do both to get open and to shoot quickly before a defender can recover?

Murray:

“Being aggressive and finding my shots in different ways, whether it’s in transition or coming off the dribble from Domas (Domantas Sabonis). I find different ways to get my shot off.”

What are your shooting goals this season?

Murray:

“Hopefully beat my mark from last year. I’m trying to stay above 40%. That’s obviously a goal of mine. It’s tough to do. That’s the first time I’ve ever done it in my career. I’ll try to keep that this year.”