Pistons draft: Will Kris Murray be as good as his brother?

The Detroit Pistons will head into the 2023 NBA Draft with two picks, one guaranteed top-5 pick to go along with the 31st pick in the second round.

We’ve been looking at possible players who could be in the running for that second pick, and even though this draft may be light with perceived star talent, it is deep with players of a similar talent, so the Pistons could definitely find a good player with the first pick in the second round.

I asked the readers for their choice of possible sleeper picks, and got a lot of interesting responses.

One suggestion came from Twitter user @imwinston_, who inquired about Kris Murray from Iowa. Murray is the twin brother of Keegan Murray, who you might remember went just ahead of Jaden Ivey in last year’s draft.

Kris Murray has declared for the draft this year, but will he be as good as his twin brother?

Detroit Pistons draft: Kris Murray

Murray seems like an unlikely fit for the Detroit Pistons only because he’ll likely be chosen in the first round, so they may have to trade up to get him.

He averaged 20.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in his junior season at Iowa while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and just 33.5 percent from 3-point range on 6.8 attempts per game. The 3-point accuracy is one of the things that separates him from his brother, who shot nearly 40 percent from long range, though on a lower number of attempts.

Kris Murray is also not quite as athletic as his brother or the same kind of finisher in the open court though they are both the exact same size at 6-foot-8 and around 215 lbs.

If Murray were to fall to the Detroit Pistons in the second round, he’d be an easy choice, as his size and shooting will make him a role player in the NBA for years to come. Keegan Murray jumped into being an effective NBA starter right away and Kris may not be in the same tier, he has a very reliable floor as a power forward who can shoot.

Many draft experts think he’ll go in the middle of the first round, but if he does happen to fall, the Detroit Pistons would definitely consider Kris Murray. He’d be an instant fit, especially if they could find a trade for Marvin Bagley III.