The Portland Trail Blazers are developing plenty of young players in prime rotation slots, embroiled in a rebuild that’s likely to take a couple more seasons before bearing full fruit. Plenty of ink, local and national, has been spent on players like Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Deni Avdija. But what about the lesser-known reaches of Portland’s rotation? A reader has a question about a deep bench player which we indulge in today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag.
Dave,
During your season reviews you talked about almost everyone but I didn’t hear you say anything about Kris Murray. I like his game and I wonder if you see him becoming a starter in the future? Also do you see any hope of the Blazers uniting him with brother Keegan? I think that’d make a wonderful lineup to build around.
Gerald
Apologies. I mean to do a post on the seldom-played members of the Trail Blazers roster lumped into one but it slipped through the cracks. If anybody has a question about a player we missed, you can send it to blazersub@gmail.com just like Gerald did and we’ll be sure to get to it.
As far as Kris Murray...oh wait, time out. Careful, Gerald. The New York Knicks are asking permission to talk to your spouse. You might want to turn them down before that goes too far.
Now, as far as Murray, I like several things about him. He fits in the general category of players we mentioned in our last Mailbag as prized in the modern NBA: 6’8, versatile, mobile, capable of defending. His late-season defense was opportunistic and, I thought, effective. He showed good hands and surprisingly active feet, at times echoing Toumani Camara’s performance. That was the most exciting development for me.
Murray is lithe in a way that resembles a young Nicolas Batum. I can’t quite quantify it. You just know it when you see it. He moves with an effortless grace that speaks of athleticism, not explosive, but constant. You’ll remember Batum being able to adapt to nearly every situation and lineup. Murray might have that quality too.
Murray’s decision-making on offense needs some work. He’s not comfortable out there yet. Too many times he looked hesitant, passing up shots he should have taken without thought. Except for his three-point shot. That’s a near-tragedy at this point, his glaring weakness. He needs to work on mechanics and become more confident in it. His 22.5% success rate beyond the arc last season won’t fly. It will keep him off the court, making it hard to display or develop those good qualities we just mentioned.
I would say until he can hit a three, Murray’s development is mostly a moot point and his value is muted. When the distance stroke solidifies, he’ll join the ranks of Portland wings providing depth and floor coverage in a similar style to the Indiana Pacers, which is not a bad thing.
As far as trading for Keegan Murray, I don’t see it happening. I think the Sacramento Kings covet him, maybe not to the exclusion of all else (Darius Garland might end up prying him free) but probably more than they’d covet anything Portland could reasonably offer. Keegan would be like Kris in the Blazers lineup, just more developed. Portland would welcome him, hoping his 34.3% three-point shooting would improve like his brother’s needs to. I just think Keegan is in that tweener space, not worth trading truly premium future assets for but too good to get with the disposable players on Portland’s roster currently.