Pelicans Scoop

Trey Murphy III Making Case For NBA's Most Improved Player Votes

Trey Murphy III has really stepped up since Zion Williamson went down, and the second-year sensation could be rewarded soon enough.
Chris Dodson|
Trey Murphy III Making Case For NBA's Most Improved Player Votes
Trey Murphy III Making Case For NBA's Most Improved Player Votes

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New Orleans Pelicans

The drama around the NBA's award season is starting to get spicy and some New Orleans Pelicans are getting sprinkled into the mix. Zion Williamson was an All-Star earlier this year and Herb Jones is making a case for making an All-Defense team. While still a long shot, Trey Murphy III has been shooting up the Most Improved Player voting charts.

Do not bet the house on Murphy III winning extra honors. Completing a 50-40-90 shooting season is special but it will not be enough to win the NBA Most Improved Player award according to the SI Sportsbook. 

Utah's Lauri Markkanen (-400) and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+250) are the runaway favorites. However, Murphy III has a far better chance at a championship ring this season and is looking at a new contract extension next summer.

Still, it has been encouraging to see Murphy III's growth in a bigger role in the past few months and his All-Star potential is starting to become undeniable. It seems to be a change in direction from Willie Green's approach to start the season and Murphy III should at least get the recognition that comes with getting a few down-ballot votes.

It's been a long journey, including three years of college at two different programs and an extended trip stay with the Birmingham Squadron as a rookie. Murphy III began this season with the Pelicans as, at best, the fourth option on offense back in October.

There were only 4 nights he got 10 shots or more in the first month. When Brandon Ingram went down the day after Thanksgiving, Murphy III did not necessarily get up more shots providing space for Zion Williamson.

There were just 3 games of Murphy III getting 10+ shots in December when Ingram was sidelined and opposing defenses were loading up to stop Zion's drives. Now with Williamson out since January 2 and McCollum nursing a thumb injury, Murphy III's shot volume has steadily increased.

That should not change when the Pelicans are fully healthy. His shooting efficiency is so off the charts that crowd-pleasing slam dunks actually lower some of his advanced metrics shooting percentages. Murphy III is about to become the youngest qualified player in NBA history to shoot at least 40% on three-pointers and 90% from the free-throw line.

For example, his overall True Shooting Percentage is higher than his two-point field goal True Shooting Percentage. Fortunately, Murphy III's logo launches are just as breathtaking. Murphy III is 18th overall in TS%, right behind Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson but ahead of Damian Lillard and Markkanen.

The 22-year-old has averaged 19.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.3 combined steals/blocks per game. Murphy III has committed only 12 turnovers during this stretch while making 41 free throws. In fact, he has only missed 4 free throws and made 59 three-pointers since March 3 (59/128, 46%).

Murphy III was the 17th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft but the Virginia alum went into this past offseason as the second-best rookie drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans according to NBA.com's KIA Rookie Ladder. Herb Jones (35th overall) was the 7th best first-year player on the league's list, which did not even mention Murphy III in the rankings.

Much like the 'chirping' done by the LA Clippers last week, Trigga Trey heard the noise about his at times subpar rookie season. The responses to an assortment of NBA growing pains have not gone unnoticed and the NBA.com rankings are showing a lot more respect.

It took a few trips to the G-League to iron out some issues but the investment paid off in the NBA Play-In Tournament last spring. Murphy III again rose to the occasion last week in a must-win game for a New Orleans team holding out hope for the 5th or 6th seed out west. 

“In all honesty, what it was was there was a little bit of chirping from the Clippers bench, and it just brought the competitive nature out of me," he explained after setting a new career high.

All in all, this season can be viewed as at least a partial success because the front office knows exactly what it has in Murphy III. His sophomore campaign has all but proven that the sharpshooter is a perfect fit for this team. He could be seen as an All-Star draft steal when it comes time to negotiate a new contract next summer.

The Pelicans just need Murphy III to keep shooting at least 10 three-pointers per game regardless of if Zion Williamson returns for the postseason. Brandon Ingram's confidence, and assist numbers, are through the roof lately in large part due to Murphy III. They are even doing postgame interviews together now. 

Murphy III, not CJ McCollum is arguably the third piece to the Big 3 in New Orleans. A five-year near-max deal is possible under the new CBA. But that's getting a bit too far ahead in the team's timeline. All of that speculation can wait another 12 months.

For now, the Pelicans just need to keep featuring Murphy III on offense instead of going long stretches where coach Willie Green seems to forget about the best shooter on the roster. 

The approach has led to one of the biggest year-over-year improvements in the organization's history. It's also going to get Murphy III's name mentioned a bit more when discussing the next breakout star.

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Chris Dodson
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