- Keegan Murray won the Summer League MVP award, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds.
- Murray (+250) is now joint-favorite with first pick Paolo Banchero to win the Rookie of the Year award.
- Originally looked at as a low-ceiling prospect, Murray has a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
LAS VEGAS – The NBA’s Rookie of the Year market is hot, with top picks Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren tearing up the Summer League.
However, it is another Summer League hero – Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings – who took home Summer League MVP.
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray has been named the Most Valuable Player of NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022.
Murray averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range in four games in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/mTuBltv7Eo
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 18, 2022
Murray was a stone-cold killer in the Summer League, putting up 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting a cool 40% from three.
His exploits have landed him in a dead heat with Banchero for the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
2022/23 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
- Keegan Murray +250
- Paolo Banchero +250
- Chet Holmgren +400
- Jaden Ivey +700
- Jabari Smith Jr. +800
- Bennedict Mathurin +1300
- Shaedon Sharpe +1300
- Dyson Daniels +1500
Murray was taken by the Kings with the fourth pick in the draft, and his Summer League exploits, along with his NBA-ready 6-8 215 lb frame, make him a prime candidate for the award.
Originally looked at as a “safe” pick due to his well-rounded two-way game, Kings General Manager Monte McNair was confident that Murray would be a high-upside pick as well.
“We don’t see it that way,” McNair said on the night of the Draft. “We think Keegan has an extremely high ceiling. We think he’s going to come in here and prove that to everyone.”
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Murray was the best player in college basketball in 2021-2022, leading the nation in both points scored (822) and PER (37.8).
However, there’s a reason that Banchero, Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. were picked ahead of Murray – and they’re very much still contenders for the award.
Banchero, selected by the Orlando Magic, features elite scoring ability with a wiry, 6-10 frame that could fill out in a similar manner to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’ll have plenty of opportunity to make his mark on a woeful Magic team that should give him plenty of minutes.
Holmgren might be the new Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot titan with guard skills, who also needs to fill out in terms of mass.
Jabari Smith Jr. was one of the most efficient shooters and scorers of the ball in college, with Shot Quality ranking him as their best player in the draft due to his excellent shooting.
With the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, ShotQuality selects … Jabari Smith, Auburn University. pic.twitter.com/szp0w0rJvk
— ShotQuality (@Shot_Quality) June 4, 2022
A note – the top five players picked in the draft are also the top five players listed by Shot Quality, and are also the top five on the sports betting odds boards for Rookie of the Year.
For five years running, the winner of the Rookie of the Year award has been a top five draft pick. The last time this was not true was 2016-17, when Malcolm Brogdon took home the award. Since 2003, only four players who were not top five draft picks have won it – it’s very likely that this trend continues based on these odds.
Maxwell joined the USAOnlineSportsbooks team in 2019. He focuses on creating sports betting content that informs and educates. He focuses on the NBA, the NFL, College Football and Basketball, and whatever else comes across his desk.
