Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III knows his scouting report will soon change
Trey Murphy III knocked down six more 3-pointers on Wednesday to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 104-86 victory over the Orlando Magic, continuing a hot start to his preseason run.
Murphy finished the contest with 20 points, six rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes of work as the Pelicans improved to 1-1 this preseason. He converted on 7-of-13 shot attempts from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The 17th overall pick went 6-of-10 from 3-point range during the Pelicans’ preseason opener on Monday, and is now shooting 12-of-19 through his first two games. Though it is a small sample size, Murphy leads all players in 3s made.
He attributes his hot start to the work he has put in and his confidence.
I’m shooting open shots and I can shoot the ball pretty well, I can’t lie to you. I’m going to keep shooting it. They are going in and I’m staying confident. That is the main thing for me.
The Pelicans value his floor spacing as it will help create opportunities for other players. They are playing without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram during the preseason but they figure to benefit by the added floor spacing once they can return.
Murphy knows teams likely won’t continue to leave him open from the perimeter. He will have to adjust his game to continue to get shots but is going to let it fly every time he is open.
In all honesty, I could go 0-for-20 and I’m still shooting that next one. It’s nice putting the ball in the basket, for sure. I think my scouting report is going to be a little different than I expected in Game 1 so I just gotta be prepared for that.
While Murphy has proven to be a very good shooter, the 6-foot-8 forward can do more than just that. He threw down a dunk versus the Magic and also had a nice drive to basket, in which he needed to weave around a couple of defenders.
He will be looking to showcase more of that in the future.
It has been a minute since I got a dunk, it is crazy. I promise you, I have a lot of athleticism, too. I smoked a layup first so that was one of the problems but then I got the rebound. I’m just trying to channel my inner Zion, I guess.
Murphy gives the Pelicans a great floor-spacing option, something that has been on full display this week. Whether it’s in the starting lineup or off the bench, Murphy could be in store for a strong rookie campaign as a 3-and-D option.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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