For the second consecutive season, the Iowa Hawkeyes have had a player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Kris Murray was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd pick in the first round of Thursday night's draft. A year ago, Keegan Murray, Kris' twin brother, was taken fourth overall by the Sacramento Kings.
Kris Murray's selection by Portland in the first round means that Iowa has had first round selections in the NBA Draft in consecutive seasons for the first time in over 50 years. The only other time it happened was when John Johnson was taken seventh overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers (1970) and Fred Brown was taken sixth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics (1971).
The Murrays become the eighth set of siblings to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and the fourth set of twin brothers to be taken in the first round. Brook and Robin Lopez were drafted 10th and 15th overall in 2008. Marcus and Markieff Morris were selected 13th and 14th overall in 2011. And Amen and Ausar Thompson were taken 4th and 5th overall earlier in this very draft.
Being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft puts a bow on Kris Murray's meteoric rise through college ball. Murray and his brother Keegan had so little recruiting hype out of high school that they opted to spend a year at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was at DME Academy that the twins, the sons of former Iowa basketball standout Kenyon Murray, caught the attention of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and the Iowa coaching staff.
The twins committed to Iowa in October of 2019 and arrived at Iowa a year later, for the 2020-21 season. That Hawkeye team was built around upperclassmen stars Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp, though Keegan carved out a role as sixth man off the bench.
After playing sparingly as a true freshman, Kris took over his brother Keegan's role as sixth man in 2021-22. Keegan replaced Garza as the fulcrum of Iowa's offense and put together a spectacular individual season, earning All-Big Ten plaudits and first-team All-America honors.
Keegan and Kris Murray both entered their names in the NBA Draft last season, but after going through multiple evaluations and getting feedback from NBA scouts, Kris opted to return to Iowa for his junior season. Like Keegan had done the year before, Kris put together a superstar performance as the focal point of the Iowa roster.
As a junior and the unquestioned star on the Iowa team, Kris averaged 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game, while averaging 47.6% from the floor and 34% from 3-point range. He was one of just three players (alongside Alabama's Brandon Miller and Central Florida's Taylor Hendricks) to record at least 200 rebounds, 30 steals, 30 blocks, and 60 3-pointers last season. Murray's efforts saw him named first team All-Big Ten and also earned him third-team All-America honors as well.
Like Keegan, Kris is a well-rounded athlete who can contribute immediately on offense and defense. Kris has plus size and athleticism and the ability to produce as a 3-and-D performer. He runs the floor well and has good off-ball scoring skills; he can provide real value to a team even without the ball in his hands.
It was a joy to watch Kris' development at Iowa over the past three seasons and we wish him the very best as the makes the leap to the next stage of his basketball career. Congratulations and good luck, Kris.
