Kings' Keegan Murray Might Be The Rookie Of The Year Sleeper

With all the hype surrounding the top three picks in the NBA Draft in Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith, it's easy to see how some of the other potential future All-Stars in the class are getting overlooked.

The 2022 NBA Draft was deep, but it goes far beyond the first three picks.

Keegan Murray has been on a tear in not only the Las Vegas Summer League, but the California Classic before that, posting five-straight 20-point games for the Kings. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the other 13 lottery picks had six combined 20-point games at the time, and only Bennedict Mathurin had more than one.

This could be an early sample of what not only his rookie season will look like, but his long-term outlook as well.

Don't Sleep On Murray

Murray has the fifth-best odds to win NBA ROY at +750 (BetMGM), which given the early returns we've gotten (even though, yes, it's Summer League), there's some real value on his potential.

One of the "negatives" that some held against him was that he was already 21, which is just plain old in NBA Draft years. But in reality, it may help him adjust to the league more quickly.

Murray showed last year he can play in the open floor and in half-court sets, and with De'Aaron Fox as the primary ball-handler, Murray's ability to get open off the ball would give Fox a dependable target to find when running the offense. He's not necessarily the most athletic guy, but he limits mistakes on offense and knows the smart play, whether it's looking to score or giving it up.

There's some serious value in Murray in this market at the moment, and it's not a crazy bet at all for him to end up taking home the award at the end of the season.