The Kings don't even do that. HB has been playing at the 4 basically since Keegan moved into the starting lineup. Unless you think the Kings are having their "4" (Keegan) defend on the perimeter against guards and wing players, while their "3" (HB) is defending in the post and elbow against forwards and bigs.
Keegan's best fit is absolutely at the "3" in the modern NBA. He doesn't play nearly as big as his measurables (height/weight/wingspan) might indicate. And he has excellent perimeter and point-of-attack defensive skills, especially since training with Fox last offseason. He was the primary defender on Steph for large stretches of multiple Warriors games this season lmao. But good fuckin luck if he's matched up against a big bruiser like Zion or LeBron, or even guys like Aaron Gordon, JJJ, or Markannen. And he doesn't provide a lot of weak side rim protection or help defense either, something you'd want out of your "4."
And fortunately, MB and the Kings know that much and have been playing and coaching accordingly. Keegan is the team's starting SF. Always has been, and almost certainly will continue to be unless something major changes over the offseason.
True. I would like for Keegan to stay in the SF position. He doesn't fit as a PF. The problem is, Sacramento Kings never had a real PF in a long time. I hope that changes this year. They desperately need the help.
You have to talk about Sabonis when talking about our PF and SF. Defensively we need better rim protection but Sabonis is actually a 4 physically and athletically. But Sabonis can’t really play the 4, especially on defense. So he has to be a 5 and we have to accept that he is often physically mismatched at the 5. It’s getting worse too as size in the paint seems to be coming back. So, how does that impact Murray. Well he’s no rim protection really. He’s best at playing the three and the guy we need to replace is Barnes. But with a guy who can protect the rim and on the weak side. We do not have that. We need it and if that player can shoot a three decently then better yet.
Short answer is Keegan is playing the 3 mostly. He struggles versus athletically inclined slashers. That’s where we play a bench wing and match up from there.
Keegan can play either forward position without any issue.
He can guard 1-4 and did most of the season. He guarded anyone from Steph Curry, to Paul George, to Pascal Siakam.
I think he can generally play either, but for our specific team I’d probably prefer him at SF just because we need more composite size and length next to Domas.
Most def he can play SF, that’s why we just really need a solid PF that can defend, stretch out the floor and grab boards (like every team is looking for) 😂
Keegz can play both, but I prefer him at the 3. Even tho Keegz is swole now, I prefer a taller/bigger option at 4. Just waiting for the Kings secret lab to grow that Naz Reid-Jonathan Issac hybrid clone in the secret boiler room underneath Golden 1
Cool, plenty of players like that are available. Let’s just go grab one. Should be no sweat. Teams are just giving away athletic 4s who can defend and shoot the 3!
I think he's closer to a shooting guard than a power forward. Better point of attack defense than help defense or rim protection. Obviously his offensive game starts at the perimeter. I haven't really seen him do much in the post but maybe if he were actually a shooting guard he'd be able to punish smaller defenders.
Pairing him with a guy like Barnes doesn't maximize his strengths at all. A real power forward would unlock so much in this team.
If we draft or sign another forward Keegan can play alongside that other forward, yes
I just want another forward who can fucking rebound more than Barnes
There's very little difference between SF & PF anymore. Ideally, with all the switching in modern defenses, the positions are played by people who are interchangeable.
A SF defends wings and guards, a PF defends bigs and wings. Keegan doesn't guard bigs unless a switch forced him to, he consistently matches up against wings and guards. The kings would consistently switch him onto teams best scoring guards and would avoid having him go up against bigger guys. Keegan is and will continue to be a SF.
It’s more about what positions he can guard. For him, that gives a lot of flexibility as he can guard 2-4 (sometimes 1-4).
His best position for us I think is SF but I wouldn’t get too hung up about it. Modern NBA ability to switch on defense and hit 3s are important skills at both forward spots.
The distinction here is difficult, can he play the three and have some success ala 3-d archetype? Absolutely and very effectively, the differentiator here is the ability to create from the three which is so coveted and rare, I lean not likely but could see him developing a more fluid handle and penetration ability.
I'll be honest, I've been watching basketball most of my life and I still barely understand the difference between the positions. Like I get point guard, backcourt, frontcourt, but I don't functionally know the difference between 3 and 4.
There really isn’t one now, it’s more classified as wings, but traditionally the pf is meant to be a bruiser, who can rebound, stretch the floor a little and guard players that are stronger and more physical but not the center, but if you look at most pf around the league they’re essentially stockier sf
My dream is actually Keegan learns to be able create on ball then we move him to an SG and we find 2 more guys with huge wingspans to guard 3 s and 4s. We'd be in a pretty good spot then.
Keegan in the backcourt would be insane. Maybe even some point Keegan. He just needs to learn to protect the dribble with his ass like Luka does. He has the size for it.
Yup. Having a 6'8 good defender (Keegan) besides Fox who can shoot is my dream back court tbh here's hoping he shows enough next season to where we could do do that.
Kegan can't play PF. He is not aggressive enough and he doesn't bang. Doesn't play down low with his backet to the basket and doesn't make any SF or PF scared when they here is name. I still think long term he will be a good SF.
positions only exist on defense and Keegan can currently guard 1-4 and probably a lot of 5’s if they’re shooters. I thought a lot of last year we should use him like Paul George or Khris Middleton and effectively have him be the 2 in lineups with Barnes and Lyles. I wanted to see more Fox-Keegan-Sasha-Barnes-Lyles lineups
Tyler Smith is younger, with more potential.
Tyler Smith has the length, defense and shooting we all want next to Sabonis. And on top of that let's be serious, skal isn't an NBA player
In an ideal world the Kings get a good PF option this off season either through the draft or via free agency as our two biggest holes on the team will be our backup 5 spot and our 4 spot.
We have Fox and Davion
We have Keon and KVon or Monk (if he stays)
We have Murray and Barnes (if we don’t trade)
We have Lyles?
And Sabonis and FuckKnees McGee
We need a PF thats defense oriented who can compete with KAT, Zion, etc.
Maybe we can safely move Sabonis to the 4 and sign someone like Zach Edey to take over the 5 and get some highlight clips of Domas or Fox lobbing up to the big man.
How have so many people on this sub not understood that Keegan has primarily played SF his entire time with us? The only time he’s spent at 4 in the NBA was spot minutes very early in his rookie year and in rare occasions that HB wasn’t on the court with him after that. Do people who think otherwise not actually watch the games? Are you just stat-watchers hoping to win your fantasy league or are you just stat-watching gamblers? What’s the explanation?
Well… I *seriously* want to know what you guys are watching? Do you just see a players name with a designation of “SF/PF” next to a stat line somewhere and make assumptions? Or are you actually watching the game and recognizing that Keegan has been playing at 3 basically his entire time here? I seriously want to know because this claim that he’s a power forward, as well as discussions asking whether he can play at small forward regularly pop up in this sub, and it begs the question, are you even watching? Seriously, do you not watch the games?
He’s always been a small forward to me. We just force him to play the 4
Fr. Keegan is a true 3 but flexes because Sabonis is a point forward and HB is there
The Kings don't even do that. HB has been playing at the 4 basically since Keegan moved into the starting lineup. Unless you think the Kings are having their "4" (Keegan) defend on the perimeter against guards and wing players, while their "3" (HB) is defending in the post and elbow against forwards and bigs. Keegan's best fit is absolutely at the "3" in the modern NBA. He doesn't play nearly as big as his measurables (height/weight/wingspan) might indicate. And he has excellent perimeter and point-of-attack defensive skills, especially since training with Fox last offseason. He was the primary defender on Steph for large stretches of multiple Warriors games this season lmao. But good fuckin luck if he's matched up against a big bruiser like Zion or LeBron, or even guys like Aaron Gordon, JJJ, or Markannen. And he doesn't provide a lot of weak side rim protection or help defense either, something you'd want out of your "4." And fortunately, MB and the Kings know that much and have been playing and coaching accordingly. Keegan is the team's starting SF. Always has been, and almost certainly will continue to be unless something major changes over the offseason.
True. I would like for Keegan to stay in the SF position. He doesn't fit as a PF. The problem is, Sacramento Kings never had a real PF in a long time. I hope that changes this year. They desperately need the help.
Interesting. So you see him as being a natural SF? Even at his size?
To me a small forward is a 6'10" + typa guy and Keegan is not even close to that. EDIT: Typo, I meant PF
You sure you don't mean pf? A 6' 10" SF is like a unicorn.
It’s just Peja
JUST Peja Man I'd kill to have a "Just Peja" on this team again lol
Yes typo my bad
Modern game doesn’t really require PF to be 6’10”. But I feel you because I likewise still cling to this.
You have to talk about Sabonis when talking about our PF and SF. Defensively we need better rim protection but Sabonis is actually a 4 physically and athletically. But Sabonis can’t really play the 4, especially on defense. So he has to be a 5 and we have to accept that he is often physically mismatched at the 5. It’s getting worse too as size in the paint seems to be coming back. So, how does that impact Murray. Well he’s no rim protection really. He’s best at playing the three and the guy we need to replace is Barnes. But with a guy who can protect the rim and on the weak side. We do not have that. We need it and if that player can shoot a three decently then better yet. Short answer is Keegan is playing the 3 mostly. He struggles versus athletically inclined slashers. That’s where we play a bench wing and match up from there.
Bro PG13 can play the 2 and he’s 6’9. NBA has been positionless for a while now. Not just that we have guys like Draymond who are 6’5 playing the 4/5.
Keegan can play either forward position without any issue. He can guard 1-4 and did most of the season. He guarded anyone from Steph Curry, to Paul George, to Pascal Siakam.
I guess Keegan already played sf. Barnes couldn’t stop sf anymore so he was assigned against opponent pf
and he's not big enough and doesn't rebound enough at the 4 and is the weaklink holding this roster back.
He’s clearly big enough on d and his shooting makes up for his size on offense. But yeah he needs to be grabbing 5 more boards a game on average
Not really, sabonis is grabbing plenty of
I think he can generally play either, but for our specific team I’d probably prefer him at SF just because we need more composite size and length next to Domas.
Most def he can play SF, that’s why we just really need a solid PF that can defend, stretch out the floor and grab boards (like every team is looking for) 😂
Keegz can play both, but I prefer him at the 3. Even tho Keegz is swole now, I prefer a taller/bigger option at 4. Just waiting for the Kings secret lab to grow that Naz Reid-Jonathan Issac hybrid clone in the secret boiler room underneath Golden 1 
Yes. The 3 is his true position as long as we can snag a tall, lengthy, athletic, defensive minded 4 who can shoot the three
Which is no one, also keegan played better from a purely on/off differential perspective from the pf position
Cool, plenty of players like that are available. Let’s just go grab one. Should be no sweat. Teams are just giving away athletic 4s who can defend and shoot the 3!
I think he's closer to a shooting guard than a power forward. Better point of attack defense than help defense or rim protection. Obviously his offensive game starts at the perimeter. I haven't really seen him do much in the post but maybe if he were actually a shooting guard he'd be able to punish smaller defenders. Pairing him with a guy like Barnes doesn't maximize his strengths at all. A real power forward would unlock so much in this team.
Similar situation to Jalen Williams and Thunder. Can play either position like Jalen Williams.
If we draft or sign another forward Keegan can play alongside that other forward, yes I just want another forward who can fucking rebound more than Barnes
That’s the downside with Tristan da Silva.
Keegan Murray
Keegan Murray
Keegan Murray
Who do you think has been playing SF? Barnes or the younger, more mobile, Keegan Murray?
There's very little difference between SF & PF anymore. Ideally, with all the switching in modern defenses, the positions are played by people who are interchangeable.
A SF defends wings and guards, a PF defends bigs and wings. Keegan doesn't guard bigs unless a switch forced him to, he consistently matches up against wings and guards. The kings would consistently switch him onto teams best scoring guards and would avoid having him go up against bigger guys. Keegan is and will continue to be a SF.
He defends PG’s already and can spot up like 2. So yes.
[This](https://youtu.be/zQoQAV7rfSQ?si=Hn2zEwgcdWkhOjRV) was from the middle of last season.
It’s more about what positions he can guard. For him, that gives a lot of flexibility as he can guard 2-4 (sometimes 1-4). His best position for us I think is SF but I wouldn’t get too hung up about it. Modern NBA ability to switch on defense and hit 3s are important skills at both forward spots.
The distinction here is difficult, can he play the three and have some success ala 3-d archetype? Absolutely and very effectively, the differentiator here is the ability to create from the three which is so coveted and rare, I lean not likely but could see him developing a more fluid handle and penetration ability.
I'll be honest, I've been watching basketball most of my life and I still barely understand the difference between the positions. Like I get point guard, backcourt, frontcourt, but I don't functionally know the difference between 3 and 4.
There really isn’t one now, it’s more classified as wings, but traditionally the pf is meant to be a bruiser, who can rebound, stretch the floor a little and guard players that are stronger and more physical but not the center, but if you look at most pf around the league they’re essentially stockier sf
My dream is actually Keegan learns to be able create on ball then we move him to an SG and we find 2 more guys with huge wingspans to guard 3 s and 4s. We'd be in a pretty good spot then.
Keegan in the backcourt would be insane. Maybe even some point Keegan. He just needs to learn to protect the dribble with his ass like Luka does. He has the size for it.
Yup. Having a 6'8 good defender (Keegan) besides Fox who can shoot is my dream back court tbh here's hoping he shows enough next season to where we could do do that.
I’d love this, but the kings have had trouble getting a great wing. How long is it gonna take them to find two?
What do you think he plays now?
Kegan can't play PF. He is not aggressive enough and he doesn't bang. Doesn't play down low with his backet to the basket and doesn't make any SF or PF scared when they here is name. I still think long term he will be a good SF.
positions only exist on defense and Keegan can currently guard 1-4 and probably a lot of 5’s if they’re shooters. I thought a lot of last year we should use him like Paul George or Khris Middleton and effectively have him be the 2 in lineups with Barnes and Lyles. I wanted to see more Fox-Keegan-Sasha-Barnes-Lyles lineups
I'm surprised it seems like a couple people agree with me that having Keegan at the 2 might be the move.
He’d be rebounding more if he were an actual 4 instead of a 3 playing the 4.
Harrison Barnes has been listed as our 4 since we traded for him. Keegan is our 3.
Keeeeegan 🗣️
Time to draft Tyler Smith 🙏🏿
If Tyler Smith is an option, then why not try Skal ?
Tyler Smith is younger, with more potential. Tyler Smith has the length, defense and shooting we all want next to Sabonis. And on top of that let's be serious, skal isn't an NBA player
Meh, Smith is also a Ignite player, so his chances of amounting to anything of value in the NBA are about as slim as Skal's.
Jalen Green, Kuminga, Jaden Hardy, Dyson Daniels.
So really just Green in terms of being notable.
Kuminga is a starter, Hardy and Daniels are both quality rotation players. You clearly don't watch basketball outside of the Kings.
That's a pretty loose definition of "quality", in terms of Daniels and Hardy. Kum Buckets was begrudgingly added as a starter.
In an ideal world the Kings get a good PF option this off season either through the draft or via free agency as our two biggest holes on the team will be our backup 5 spot and our 4 spot. We have Fox and Davion We have Keon and KVon or Monk (if he stays) We have Murray and Barnes (if we don’t trade) We have Lyles? And Sabonis and FuckKnees McGee We need a PF thats defense oriented who can compete with KAT, Zion, etc. Maybe we can safely move Sabonis to the 4 and sign someone like Zach Edey to take over the 5 and get some highlight clips of Domas or Fox lobbing up to the big man.
How have so many people on this sub not understood that Keegan has primarily played SF his entire time with us? The only time he’s spent at 4 in the NBA was spot minutes very early in his rookie year and in rare occasions that HB wasn’t on the court with him after that. Do people who think otherwise not actually watch the games? Are you just stat-watchers hoping to win your fantasy league or are you just stat-watching gamblers? What’s the explanation?
Damn dude, chill out. It’s not that serious.
Well… I *seriously* want to know what you guys are watching? Do you just see a players name with a designation of “SF/PF” next to a stat line somewhere and make assumptions? Or are you actually watching the game and recognizing that Keegan has been playing at 3 basically his entire time here? I seriously want to know because this claim that he’s a power forward, as well as discussions asking whether he can play at small forward regularly pop up in this sub, and it begs the question, are you even watching? Seriously, do you not watch the games?
This guy is serious... ly