Blazers’ Kris Murray Has ‘NBA-Ready Skills’

Portland Trail Blazersrookie Kris Murray may not have played in the NBA last season, but his DNA did.

Kris’ brother Keegan was the No. 4 overall pick for the Sacramento Kings and helped lead the team to its first playoff berth in 17 years. While his brother Kris isn’t on that level necessarily, there are similarities to the twins’ games.

“The twin brother of Sacramento Kings swingman Keegan Murray, Kris brings a similar batch of NBA-ready skills to the pros,”Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley writes. “While not quite as dynamic of a shot-creator as Keegan, Kris can score in a variety of ways, plays solid team defense and contributes on the glass.”

开拓者可以受益having someone like Kris Murray for a long time, someone who can play multiple positions in the frontcourt. In a way, he is similar to Jerami Grant in that regard, but now Portland has that positional versatility from someone with a little more athleticism and someone coming off the bench.

Grant will play his role with the starters, but as Portland skews towards its youth, perhaps Murray could be someone who can step in when the Blazers move on from Grant.

It probably won’t happen immediately, especially considering the fact that Grant signed a five-year deal this offseason just before Damian Lillard requested a trade, but Portland has an eye on the future, and there’s a decent chance Murray could be part of it.