NBA Draft Profile: Keegan Murray

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray

Background: Before getting bounced embarrassingly early, but in Iowa fashion, power forward Keegan Murray carried the Hawkeyes to their third Big-Ten Championship in school history. 

 

From a no-name recruit in high school to a projected top-five pick, Murray has climbed up the ranks thanks to his own grit and determination.

 

They don’t produce many world-renown athletes in Iowa, but Murray is one of the few. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he attended Prairie High School and averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his senior year.

 

However, because he’s from Iowa, not many colleges had heard of Murray, prompting him to take a postgraduate year and attend DME Academy, a private sports training academy for postgraduate athletes.

 

There he averaged 22.1 points and 7.5 boards per game, earning himself a three-star recruitment status. From there, Murray decided to head back home and commit to the University of Iowa.

 

After a solid freshman year that saw him make the Big-Ten All-Freshman team, Murray exploded in his sophomore campaign. His 23.5 points per game were the 4th most in the country and shot an efficient 55.4% from the field, 34th best. When considering the conference he played in makes the totals even more impressive.

 

He chipped in on the defensive end too, adding 8.7 rebounds per game, ranking 37th best in the nation.

 

With those numbers, Murray earned quite a number of accolades: he was first-team All-Big Ten, a consensus first-team All-American, the Big-Ten Tournament MVP, and won the Karl Malone Award, which is given to the nation’s best power forward.

 

Strengths: Some people may consider him being 21 years of age a weakness, but he’s more NBA-ready than anyone in the draft because of it.

 

While he still has some filling out to do frame-wise, he’s a lot bigger and stronger than some of the other prospects ranked ahead of him. He’s a 6’8, 225 lbs power forward with a 7’6 wingspan that can score from anywhere on the court; these types of guys don’t come around all too often.

 

Most guys who can score as well as Murray can’t contribute in other departments on the court, but that won’t be a problem for the glass-eating Murray.

 

Weakness: Like I said, some people consider it a weakness that Murray will be 22 heading into his rookie season in the NBA.

 

While I don’t think his success at the collegiate level was because of his age, it’s a lot rarer for the older big men to find success in the NBA compared to older guards. Guards like Damian Lillard, Buddy Hield, and Victor Oladipo worked out just fine, although they were ages 21 and older when entering the draft.

 

As for the big men, Frank Kaminsky and Doug McDermott didn’t have the same luck in finding their game at the next level. The same can be said with Obi Toppin and De’Andre Hunter, two power forwards who have yet to find their stroke.

 

Prediction: Keegan Murray stays in the mid-west and is selected by the Indiana Pacers. Murray sits at +190 to be drafted at over 5.5.

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