Malik Monk means a lot to the Sacramento Kings. Not only is he their best bench player, energizer, and heart and soul of the team, but he's also the guy who chose to stay with the Kings for less money than he could have gotten on the open market this offseason.

Simply put, when Monk speaks, it has great meaning. And on Wednesday, Monk took the time to rave about one of his teammates.

After training, Monk was asked what he thought the next step was for Keegan Murray heading into third grade. This is how he replied:

“It’s Keegan, the sky’s the limit for him,” Monk told reporters on Tuesday. “He could be whoever he wants to be, so I don’t want to put a label on him. So I’ll let him figure it out for himself.”

Long-time readers of the site know that we've been on the Murray train for quite some time. It is he, not De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis or even Monk, who will ultimately determine how far the Kings go this season and how they progress (due to his potential to become one of the league's best role players) . . So what exactly is the next step for Murray?

Aside from getting his 3-point percentage back to his rookie year's numbers (41.1% in 2022-23) and maintaining strong defense (90th percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, according to Dunks & Threes) , Murray will use his off-the dribbling game and the passing game.

Last season, Murray was in the 59th percentile in true shooting on drives. That's pretty solid, but he'll want to increase his volume if he wants to make this a legitimate part of his repertoire (35th percentile in drives per 36 minutes, according to Thinking Basketball).

As far as his death goes, Murray still has a much longer road ahead. He was in the 13th percentile in assist rate last year, a year after finishing in the 8th percentile in that category. Becoming a better off-the-dribble scorer will help, as the more comfortable he becomes with his grip, the more he can focus on scanning the floor (instead of worrying about losing the ball) and looking for open teammates to search.

When you consider Murray's mix of size (6'3″), shooting ability and defense, as well as his ability to add scoring and off-the-dribble passes, it's easy to say that Monk's statement is spot on. The sky really will be the limit for good old Keegan Murray.