Battle for Kings' starting power forward spot still up for grabs

KZ Okpala is still getting used to the media game. That happens when you aren’t a featured player on a team, or at least you haven’t been for the first three years of your career.

After a solid first game as a starter against the Lakers, the fourth-year forward was brought into the media scrum on Wednesday, where he fielded rapid-fire questions from the Sacramento locals.

“I know my role, Mike Brown has told me my role, so I was real comfortable out there,” Okpala said about the Kings’ 105-75 win Monday in LA.

The 23-year-old forward is known for his length, athleticism and defensive acumen. He is one of the few players on the Kings’ roster who is a better defender than he is an offensive weapon and that’s a big reason why he is getting a look with the starting group early in camp.

“Defense, you know what I mean, that’s my strength -- guarding the best player on the floor,” Okpala said. “And offensively, spacing, catch-and-shoot, corner 3s, cutting, offensive rebounding.”

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Okpala spoke about not looking for the home run play and instead, focusing on hitting singles. For a player who has played in just 63 games in his first three seasons in the NBA, this is a good approach to have.

He won’t be asked to carry the scoring load, but he will have to prove that he can space the floor or the Kings’ offense might grind to a halt. In his final season at the NCAA level, the 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.8 points per game while shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point range.

Okpala worked with Brown with the Nigerian National team, so there is some familiarity between the two. There is a checklist that Brown has given the lanky forward and if he sticks to the plan, there might be a spot in the rotation for him.

“I’m watching how the group plays,” Brown said. “What I like about KZ is he’s a guy that knows he’s got to defend, he’s got to take the best player, he’s got to run, he’s got to offensive rebound, he’s got to do all the little things to free up some of our other guys to do what they do.”

While the opening start from Okpala was solid, Brown is not ready to announce an opening night starter at the four, let alone who will get the nod when the Kings take on the Trail Blazers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center.

“He’s got to continue to do that at a high level for me to continue to take a look at it,” Brown said. “But I could easily start somebody else there right now.”

Brown has options like Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu and even Chima Moneke, but that someone else is probably prized No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray.

In his first preseason game, Murray stepped onto the court and instantly drew LeBron James as his cover. Like every other moment when we have seen the 22-year-old in a Kings uniform, he instantly settled in and made an impact.

The rookie finished the preseason opener with a team-high 16 points and chipped in six rebounds and two steals. If there were any questions as to whether he is ready to start on opening night, Murray has squashed those in both summer league and in the win over the Lakers.

“If I do my job on the court, everything else will take care of itself,” Murray said. “For me, KZ has been playing really well. He’s a great defender. I know that I need to learn right now and that’s a big thing for me and just do my job on the court and everything else will just take care of itself.”

Despite playing almost exclusively at the small forward position at the college level, Murray has been spending plenty of time at the three in camp. The 6-foot-8 forward said he has split time between the two positions, which requires him to defend very different types of players from one possession to the next.

“Our two, three and four are all the same, it’s more about if we can match up defensively,” Brown said. “Keegan, in my opinion, can probably play the two, three and four. His versatility on both sides of the ball is a lot of fun to see.”

Brown pointed to Murray’s success at defending multiple player types during summer league, including some twos. He played well against fellow rookie Bennedict Mathurin, but we are still talking about summer league basketball against inexperienced players, not the NBA where the skill and athleticism of shooting guards is off the chart.

While Murray is seeing a variety of looks on the offensive end, he’s also taking on additional roles on the offensive side of the ball. Against the Lakers, the Kings ran the ball through him on multiple occasions and from different spots on the floor and it wasn’t just to get him open shots.

“It’s something I've been working on, just being able to distribute the ball in different ways, playing off pick-and-rolls and things like that,” Murray said of his new duties. “It’s something I really didn’t do in college, I was trying to get myself a basket.”

Murray mentioned earlier in camp that he has been working a lot out of the high post. In the victory over the Lakers, you could see him scanning the court for open teammates, and whether they converted buckets or not, he made a few passes that he really hadn’t shown the ability to make during his time at Iowa.

The fact that Murray is picking up on a new skill so quickly speaks volumes about his basketball IQ and his willingness to take on additional responsibilities. Brown has used him as an offensive hub with the second unit and there is a chance that he is used in this way when Domantas Sabonis steps off the court.

If there is one thing that stands out with Murray, it’s his poise. Brown was asked about this on Wednesday and his answer came with a big smile.

“I think I’m more nervous for him than he is,” Brown said. “He doesn’t show it at all if he is. Surprising.”

There is a chance that Murray is allowed some time to get comfortable at the NBA level before being thrust into the starting lineup, but he’s quickly showing that he might not need that buffer, whether that’s Okpala or someone else.

He’s already drawing praise as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate and if he can prove that he can hold his own coming out of camp, Brown will have no choice but to feed Murray minutes early and increase his role sooner rather than later.

This is a good problem to have for Brown. The talk when the Kings drafted Murray was centered around his NBA readiness. He continues to show that he can hold his own, regardless of the opponent.

Paperwork

In an expected move, the Kings picked up the third year option of Davion Mitchell's rookie contract. The team had until Oct. 31 to exercise their team option on Mitchell's third season, but clearly he is part of what they are trying to build in Sacramento.

The 24-year-old averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game in his rookie season last year and is set to play heavy minutes in the guard rotation this season.