At #23, Blazers take Kris Murray.

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Twins in the NBA and NFL, leagues with a bigger emphasis on physicality, have pretty much all put up comparable levels of play.

In the NBA, the Lopez brothers are the only ones who had a major gap between skill level. Of course, this was known before they were drafted as Brooke always had the better stats throughout their college careers. And even then, RoLo did have better defense and rebounding numbers early on.

Essentially, with Kris Murray averaging comparable college numbers to Keegan, he should (in theory) be able to provide a similar impact where he hustles, plays some defense, gets some garbage points, and hits an occasional open three.

Keegan will likely always be the better talent but in terms of stats, they should have comparable numbers on a superficial level (ex. Per 36).
 
Which draft pick outside the lottery will have the biggest impact on his team next season?

Woo: Kris Murray. He's going to be able to make shots and earn minutes for the Blazers, who don't have a ton of reliable shooting in their frontcourt and are presumably hoping to plug and play him. I don't know if Murray has a Keeganesque campaign (Murray's twin brother, Keegan, was a first-team All-Rookie selection for the Kings in 2022-23), but the stuff he naturally does on the court is pretty useful. There's certainly opportunity here for him.
 
I groaned when this pick was announced. I certainly am not the biggest absorber of college basketball, but what I've seen of Murray sees a guy who might just barely clear the bar, athletically, for an NBA player. Most outlets seem to like the pick, so I hope he proves me wrong. The skillset, positionality and "he'll know and play his role" component are all intriguing, as is the Dame connection, so will have to see this one play out. I just would have rather taken an upside swing on Miller or Nnaji.
 
glazeduck said:
I groaned when this pick was announced. I certainly am not the biggest absorber of college basketball, but what I've seen of Murray sees a guy who might just barely clear the bar, athletically, for an NBA player. Most outlets seem to like the pick, so I hope he proves me wrong. The skillset, positionality and "he'll know and play his role" component are all intriguing, as is the Dame connection, so will have to see this one play out. I just would have rather taken an upside swing on Miller or Nnaji.
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I do agree.

If Keegan Murray projects to be an 18-20ppg player like Tobias Harris (which is entirely possible given his performance), I expect Kris Murray to be a 14-18ppg caliber player who plays similarly.

Not going to be a legitimate third or fourth option but a bench guy/starter on a playoff bound team.

Nnaji, I can understand. He's quite a gamble. Imo, if Duren is Dwight Howard, Nnaji is like Bynum. Portland may find that a "Bynum" is going to be useful down the line.

Leonard Miller, who has chemistry with Scoot, I think might end up a better player than Murray. Christian Wood meets Lamar Odom is how I described him (18+ppg potential). Maybe he fell for a reason but I would really hate that he is a Spur, if I'm a team with a young core, as he will make it difficult for teams in the future to contend. For Portland, it's very likely the Spurs just built the team that will prey upon them in the future. Portland's future offensive focal point is just not going to be tall enough to counter the Spurs that a Detroit, Houston, or Orlando can (already having secured defensive wings/forwards with star potential and centers to place next to their guards).
 
MrDraftGuy said:
I do agree.

If Keegan Murray projects to be an 18-20ppg player like Tobias Harris (which is entirely possible given his performance), I expect Kris Murray to be a 14-18ppg caliber player who plays similarly.

Not going to be a legitimate third or fourth option but a bench guy/starter on a playoff bound team.

Nnaji, I can understand. He's quite a gamble. Imo, if Duren is Dwight Howard, Nnaji is like Bynum. Portland may find that a "Bynum" is going to be useful down the line.

Leonard Miller, who has chemistry with Scoot, I think might end up a better player than Murray. Christian Wood meets Lamar Odom is how I described him (18+ppg potential). Maybe he fell for a reason but I would really hate that he is a Spur, if I'm a team with a young core, as he will make it difficult for teams in the future to contend. For Portland, it's very likely the Spurs just built the team that will prey upon them in the future. Portland's future offensive focal point is just not going to be tall enough to counter the Spurs that a Detroit, Houston, or Orlando can (already having secured defensive wings/forwards with star potential and centers to place next to their guards).
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Leonard Miller is going to Minnesota.
 
CJ_is_Gone said:
Leonard Miller is going to Minnesota.
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Yeah, I just saw that, which is weird because I feel like Miller is a very Spurs type pick and his basketball IQ (a weakness of his) would've been better suited for the Spurs organization to develop than....well, the Timberwolves. Maybe Portland can snatch him up a few years from now with a 2nd rounder.
 
This strikes me as a very Desmond Bane type pick in the bottom third of the first round. Of course it's very unlikely he'll be that good, but it's also pretty unlikely he's a total washout.
 
Said he couldn't make it out for a workout but was in contact with people from the org throughout the draft and draft combine process.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
This strikes me as a very Desmond Bane type pick in the bottom third of the first round. Of course it's very unlikely he'll be that good, but it's also pretty unlikely he's a total washout.
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3 and D guy who made a huge leap in a year. No reason he can't be as good as Desmond. I like this pick, and he's ready to play now.
 
bemac said:
3 and D guy who made a huge leap in a year. No reason he can't be as good as Desmond. I like this pick, and he's ready to play now.
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A lot of teams are taking the lower ceiling guy as opposed to how it was in the past. The CBA and the Miami Heat are two reasons for that. It's at times it's trying to get a guy who can contribute right away at a rookie salary instead of waiting multiple years before they get anything out of them on a post-rookie deal.

I didn't love this pick at first but I think Murray can beat guy who can be good on both ends almost immediately.
 
Ed O said:
When you want to do a troll petition, you have to give some indication it's not serious. Spelling Lillard's and Sharpe's first names incorrectly should have been an indication to anyone who knows me that it wasn't a serious petition.
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Still making excuses for your completely serious petition? You made it purposefully. You did it, own it. That was not a troll. You meant it. Shouldnt have done it. Thats your fault.
 
Strenuus said:
Still making excuses for your completely serious petition? You made it purposefully. You did it, own it. That was not a troll. You meant it. Shouldnt have done it. Thats your fault.
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Oh my gosh. Are you seriously calling me a liar?

You don't know me. We have never talked. You don't know my sense of humor or what I do other than on this board. You don't know who was in my living room with me while we were drinking and laughing and I made a petition on Change.org.

It's embarrassing, man. You're making a fool of yourself and I'm saying this as the only arbiter of truth here given I'm the only one on this board who knows what was going on in my head.

That other people liked your post... what is wrong with you all? Hahaha
 
Ed O said:
Oh my gosh. Are you seriously calling me a liar?

You don't know me. We have never talked. You don't know my sense of humor or what I do other than on this board. You don't know who was in my living room with me while we were drinking and laughing and I made a petition on Change.org.

It's embarrassing, man. You're making a fool of yourself and I'm saying this as the only arbiter of truth here given I'm the only one on this board who knows what was going on in my head.

That other people liked your post... what is wrong with you all? Hahaha
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Did the other person drinking with you happen to be a Seattleite?
 
Thank you for posting the interview! Last year getting Keegan wouldn’t have been a horrible thing … even with Sharpe looking so dang promising during the season. Keegan looks like a good pro.

Getting Kris at 23 is strong value. Though there were about 5 players on the board at that time with seemingly higher upside, he was a pick I was really happy with and wanted at 23. He has everything to work on and will get some court time next season just continuing to develop.

Can he become a starter, eventually? A high level 6th man? That’s a successful pick 23. With just that interview as the basis for it … which is pretty limited … another quality dude like Jabari Walker. Heads on straight. Now it’s about the work and getting on the court.
 
Did we ever get any names of veterans we were pursuing with this pick?
 
there's some fan who listened to Coach Billups at the presser, and think Kris Murray is ready to be starting SF on opening day.
 
Whyachi said:
there's some fan who listened to Coach Billups at the presser, and think Kris Murray is ready to be starting SF on opening day.
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Eh I don’t think that’s likely. It will be interesting to see how he does in SL.
 
AmirIcon said:
A lot of teams are taking the lower ceiling guy as opposed to how it was in the past. The CBA and the Miami Heat are two reasons for that. It's at times it's trying to get a guy who can contribute right away at a rookie salary instead of waiting multiple years before they get anything out of them on a post-rookie deal.

I didn't love this pick at first but I think Murray can beat guy who can be good on both ends almost immediately.
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Yeah I think we'll see more of this. It used to be that late draft picks were where you want to swing for upside and hope to find a diamond in the rough borderline all-star player.

But now if you find that player who is very young and doesn't contribute until year 5 you get no bonus of his play exceeding his rookie contract value. Then he is signed to a huge deal and doesn't provide value in year 5 since he clogs your cap, even if he has borderline all-star level play.

A good role player from his rookie or sophomore year provides way more value over those first 3 or 4 years, and is a key for teams filling out a contending roster.
 
inconceivable said:
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For those that didn't watch this video, coach Adam Spinella had Chris Murray at number 15 on his Big Board and gives the Portland trailblazers two thumbs up on the pick. Both guys pointed to this being a "win now" pick and an indication of the direction the Blazers are taking.
They also mentioned that Sacramento was picking right after the Trail Blazers and how close Kris came to possibly joining his brother.
 
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Natebishop3 said:
Eh I don’t think that’s likely. It will be interesting to see how he does in SL.
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he's not as small forwardy as Keegan, I would say a bit slower, more of a post up guy. Closer to PF then SF. Maybe the Blazers can work with him, speed up his game?
 
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