Keegan

Murray

Having taken a back seat offensively for most of this season, Murray had a big night on Tuesday. He established new season-highs with 28 points and nine three-pointers. Add in the rebounds and defensive stats, and Tuesday was an excellent night for Murray managers. Over the past two weeks, he has provided fourth-round value in nine-cat formats. While Murray has to be rostered in most leagues, his fantasy ceiling has been lowered by the presence of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in the Kings’ lineup.

While Murray’s offensive output has been modest on most nights, he has hit double figures in seven of the eight games he’s appeared in since the All-Star break. The combination of consistent scoring and solid percentages is why Murray has been ranked just outside the top 50 in nine-cat formats since the break. Even with Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk out due to injury, Murray’s fantasy ceiling is limited, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine dominating the shots. However, he can still provide solid value, as evidenced by his production since the All-Star break.

With the additions of DeMar DeRozan and (just before the trade deadline) Zach LaVine, no Kings player took a more significant hit to their fantasy value than Murray. He effectively became the fifth option, and that was before Malik Monk was moved into the starting lineup. That made Wednesday’s performance so much fun, as Murray established a new season-high with 26 points. While he remains rostered in 86 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and with good reasons, this was Murray’s first 20-point game since November 24 and his fourth of the season. Over the past three weeks, he has provided sixth-round value in nine-cat formats.

Murray struggled in Sacramento’s win over New Orleans on Wednesday, but he was more productive in the rematch. It has been a rough third season for Murray, and things have only gotten worse for him since they traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio. This was his first game hitting three triples since Fox was traded, but in his first two seasons, he averaged 2.6 and 2.4 threes per game. It has been an underwhelming stretch for Murray, who hasn’t shot better than 50 percent from the field since February 3. He’ll look to get back on track after the All-Star break.

Murray struggled in the Kings’ first two games of the post-De’Aaron Fox era, but he was able to contribute a strong line in this game. Murray’s 15 shot attempts were second on the team, which is an encouraging improvement after he took 16 shots across Sacramento’s two previous games. It’s unclear if this is a trend that will continue, but if it does, and Murray can continue to contribute defensive stats, Murray has a path to providing standard league value. Keep an eye on this situation as the new-look Kings play more games.

On Wednesday, four of Sacramento’s five starters reached double figures in shot attempts. Murray was the exception, and that’s concerning, given the “haircut” he took due to DeMar DeRozan’s arrival. The Kings’ lineup now includes Zach LaVine and lacks a “true” point guard, which may be bad news for Murray. While he currently remains a top 100 player in 9-cat formats, that may not be true for much longer.

Murray’s fantasy value has taken a significant hit this season, as the addition of DeMar DeRozan made him the fifth offensive option on most nights. While that may remain the case once Zach LaVine joins the Kings, the first game since the De’Aaron Fox trade resulted in more offensive activity for Murray. The 19 points were the most he’s scored in a game since January 10, when the third-year forward hit that number in a win over the Celtics. Playing time won’t be a concern for Murray; scoring opportunities will be. Keegan will need to be more productive in the other categories to improve his fantasy value.

Murray’s fantasy value has taken a significant hit this season. First, the addition of DeMar DeRozan knocked the third-year forward down a peg in the pecking order. Then, at the beginning of December, the decision was made to move Malik Monk into the starting lineup. For Murray to have reliable value, he’ll need more nights like Saturday. In the loss to the Knicks, he accounted for eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots. Murray has been a top 100 player over the past two weeks, averaging 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. The scoring opportunities will be limited, so Murray has to provide value in other ways.

Murray will be back after missing their last two games with an ankle issue. However, De’Aaron Fox is sidelined with a glute contusion, which means that Keon Ellis will get another start. Monk and Sabonis should be the primary playmakers in this game.

Murray scored less than six points in two straight games before missing two contests with an ankle injury. His offense will be crucial against the Warriors with De’Aaron Fox out of commission.