After a five-year absence, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in the NBA Playoffs following a 41-point, superstar-ascendancy-type Play-In performance from Deni Avdija. They will go on to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in what will be an exciting, though possibly uncompetitive, first round series.
Amidst the majesty of this current moment for the Trail Blazers, another victory has gone largely unnoticed: Kris Murray is a useful NBA role player.
Across three seasons, Kris Murray has posted career averages of 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and one assist while shooting 25% from three and 42% from the floor. In a league that would really prefer players shoot above 35% from three (sans being over 7-feet tall), it becomes easy to see a path where Murray falls out of favor with the Blazers coaching staff. Yet, over three seasons, without substantial improvement to his shooting, Murray has found a consistent spot in the Blazers’ rotation, even playing 12 minutes in their Play-In matchup against the Phoenix Suns (minutes in which he was a +10, by the way). He also shined in Portland’s crucial home game against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 10, producing 10 points on 4-5 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Then he produced again in the regular season finale against the Sacramento Kings, registering 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
So, what’s the deal? Is social media wrong in their denunciation of Murray? Is Tiago Splitter sabotaging the Blazers’ chances by playing the non-shooting wing 23 minutes a night during the regular season? The truth is, of course, somewhere in the middle. While Murray might not be an effective offensive player, he shines in nearly every other aspect of the game. Even if he continues to struggle from long range, he should – and likely will – maintain a role in the league.
One of the luxuries of the Blazers’ current roster construction is its surplus of gigantic, hustle-oriented wings. Oh, Toumani Camara just broke your spirit by chasing you 180 feet up and down the floor? And because he flew backwards like Neo fighting Morpheus in the karate studio since your screener’s legs were one inch wider than the legal limit? Well, at least he’s subbed out now. Wait! Here comes another really fast 6’8” guy who will also stick to you like glue, minus the foul-drawing theatrics.
Murray’s role is essentially Toumani Camara lite. He assumes far less creation responsibility on the attacking end, but slightly atones for his lack of offensive juice with heady cuts, straight-line drives and hard-nosed offensive rebounding. On the defensive end, though, he’s as much of a stalwart as anyone. If you don’t trust the eye-test, listen to these acronyms that we all definitely know the meaning of: Murray sits in the 90th percentile of DARKO-DPM (Daily Adjusted and Regressed Kalman Optimized Defensive Plus/Minus), the 93rd percentile for DRAPM (Defensive Regular Adjusted Plus/Minus), the 73rd percentile in STL% among forwards, the 86th percentile in deflections, the 86th percentile in DFG% around the rim, and the 89th percentile in offensive rebounding.
Now, are these stats somewhat offset by his offensive numbers? Likely, yes. For each fancy acronym indicating that Murray is a stellar defender, there’s a fancier one disparaging his offensive production. Furthermore, while squinting slack-jawed at the Wikipedia page for “Kalman Filter,” I realized my argument singing Murray’s praises may be weak. Then, the Suns game happened, and I – alongside every other member of the Kris Murray Fan Club – was vindicated.
Against the Phoenix Suns, Murray posted zero points and didn’t attempt a shot, but he provided 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a block and no turnovers in 12 minutes of play. The Blazers won those minutes by 10 points. This performance is a microcosm of Murray’s larger value. Even as a non-shooter, his skillset within the larger context of the Blazers roster has maximized his effectiveness as a defensive, hustle-oriented wing.
Murray’s offensive limitations, combined with Portland’s newfound depth, are enough to warrant his benching – hence the 12 minutes of playing time against Phoenix. He is effective in spurts. Certainly, having a player that can be effective for the duration of a game would be nice, but we often dub those players “stars.” Kris Murray has a place – if not on the Blazers – in the league. The playoffs will forecast the extent of his usefulness. He can help Portland throw length and versatility at Wembanyama and the Spurs’ potent offensive attack.
And if he ever figures out how to shoot, I’ll be seeing you all at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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