Kris Murray was previously on the outside looking in of this Portland Trail Blazers young core. His unreliable three-point shooting was a questionable fit for one of the league's worst shooting teams, exacerbating an existing weakness. Through three years in the league, he's also shown no progress in that aspect of his game, hovering around 26 percent as both a rookie and through this 2025-26 season.
It's incredibly difficult to carve out a long NBA career as such a poor shooter, especially playing on the wing in the modern NBA. But to Murray's credit, he's proved to be an unconventional player who can still provide value elsewhere. The fact that he can impact winning as a non-shooter actually works in his favor in terms of scalability as a role player. Murray doesn't need the ball to leave his mark on the game.
Kris Murray is earning a spot in Portland's young core
While his shooting is a major red flag, Murray could still prove worthwhile to stick around as part of this young core. It ultimately depends on the direction general manager Joe Cronin wants to take this rebuilding roster. If they want to become a more balanced team, moving on from Murray for a sharpshooter would be an easy way to achieve that. But if Portland wants to continue doubling down on its strengths, it makes more sense to keep Murray around than some might think.
The Blazers are a team of extremes, ranking near the bottom in turnovers and three-point percentage but near the top in offensive rebounding. Their second-chance points can overcome the shooting and playmaking woes, as this team still wins the possession battle.
Donovan Clingan is the most prominent example of why this unique formula works, as a top-three offensive rebounder in the league at 4.5 per game. But Murray is an underrated piece to that puzzle, bolstering their strength with 1.8 offensive rebounds of his own -- a number that gets even more impressive considering his role at 23.6 minutes per game.
Ideally, Murray would show gradual improvement as a shooter. But with his ability to use his 6-foot-8 frame, he's found ways to become a two-way player. He always seems to be in the right spot, whether it's making timely cuts or putting himself in position to come away with 50-50 balls.
That value was on full display in Portland's biggest win of the season, a 114-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to put themselves within half a game of the eighth seed. Murray was the X-Factor in that contest, with a well-rounded stat line of seven points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes. He shot 0-of-4 from three, yet had four offensive rebounds and finished as a +19 on the night.
That was the full Kris Murray experience, and it showed why, despite his flawed shooting, he might just have a place on this roster after all.