The Portland Trail Blazers have had a Josh Hart-sized void to fill ever since trading the Villanova product to the New York Knicks. It turns out, they found the solution through that trade, when they acquired the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which became Iowa forward Kris Murray.
While Murray isn't the same level of player as Hart, he's offering Portland something they haven't had since him. Both wings play bigger than their size, utilizing their combination of physicality and ability to anticipate plays/read angles to crash the boards. Murray has 69 total rebounds this season, 32 of which have come on the offensive end!
Kris Murray is helping fill the Josh Hart void
In Year 3, Murray is finally shown promising signs of improvement, providing a more significant impact as a role player. This season, he's averaging 5.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 steals on 44/27/69 shooting splits.
Similar to Hart, his scoring and floor spacing aren't always the most reliable, but Murray has earned playing time (career-high 24.1 minutes per game) with his ability to impact winning elsewhere. He's already good enough at all these other intangibles to provide value, and if Murray ever becomes an even average three-point shooter, he's going to be a key rotational piece going forward.
It's an encouraging development, as Murray's pathway to justifying a first-round selection hasn't always been apparent. He averaged just 15.1 minutes per game last season, seemingly losing the trust of head coach Chauncey Billups. Unfortunate circumstances, both in terms of Billups' legal situation and multiple untimely injuries, have provided Murray with a golden opportunity to reclaim a more consistent rotational spot under interim head coach Tiago Splitter.
Admittedly, it's not a perfect fit for Portland's injury-plagued roster. Splitter has relied on two-way player Sidy Cissoko in a starting capacity as of late, who is also just a career 22.2% three-point shooter. This has shrunk the floor for players such as Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, who are at their best when they attack the paint. Eventually, the Blazers will have to reevaluate their roster construction as they simply can't have this many shooting liabilities.
But with Murray already providing value in other areas, he's quietly proving to be a servicable role player who can come off the bench and win you extra possessions. That's the exact identity of how Portland wants to play: a team that gets an advantage through creating extra opportunities through turnovers and offensive rebounds.
They haven't had the luxury of playing to this identity as of late due to injuries, but Murray is doing all he can to maintain this style of play while earning a consistent rotation spot.