NEW ORLEANS — Trey Murphy III has spent countless hours in the gym preparing for a split second.
In the NBA, decisions that can swing a possession, a game or even a season are often made in the blink of an eye. The best players must make them so often that it becomes second nature.
For Murphy, these choices have become the focus of his development in recent years. During his first four seasons as a pro, Murphy has steadily improved because he’s become more comfortable deciding when to drive, when to shoot and when to keep the ball moving when it’s swung his way.
“It’s just about slowing the game down as much as possible and reading what defenses are throwing at you,” Murphy said in a one-on-one conversation. “That’s an area where I’m always trying to get better.”
As his offensive responsibilities have increased in recent weeks, Murphy is making those quick reads more than ever within the Pelicans offense. While his team continues to lose at an alarming rate, dropping to a conference-worst 5-25 with an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Murphy’s maturation has been one of the few bright spots allowing the Pelicans to keep an eye toward the future. This being the 2024-25 Pelicans, Murphy left Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a left ankle injury and did not return.
Previously, Murphy’s success in New Orleans primarily came as a superior complementary piece that made life easier for Pelicans stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Murphy’s size (6-foot-9, 215 pounds), athleticism and top-notch outside shooting made him an ideal fit next to any No. 1 option.
But with Williamson and Ingram out indefinitely with injuries, Murphy has been thrust into a more prominent scoring role. He’s responded fairly well under pressure, despite the Pelicans’ woes. In his last 13 games, he’s averaging 20.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. What’s made his improvement stand out even more is that Murphy has never felt comfortable operating with the ball in his hands as a primary pick-and-roll option. He’s much more effective as an off-the-ball threat who attacks a defense already in scramble mode.
To remain a consistent scoring threat, he needs to seek out those moments when he has enough space to catch and drive or let a 3-pointer fly when defenses give him enough space. While the Pelicans have emphasized keeping him more involved, he’s still required to make his impact felt on limited opportunities compared to some of his other teammates.
With so much uncertainty surrounding this team’s future, having a player such as Murphy grow into a scorer capable of putting up 17-20 points reliably would make the path forward much less complicated. In particular, proving he can put up those scoring numbers without having a gravitational star on the floor to create looks for him would be an important progression in his game.
“We’re all proud of Trey and what he brings to our team and our program since he’s gotten here. He’s grown every year. He’s maturing right before our eyes,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Even this year, with us going through some adversity and some struggles, he’s stepping up as one of our leaders. He’s speaking up in practice and in film sessions. … He’s continuously making the right plays and encouraging his teammates to do the same thing.”
New Orleans drafted Murphy in 2021, knowing he needed time to expand his game and become a more multifaceted offensive threat. Like so many other wings around the league, Murphy came in with great size and athleticism, but there were holes in his game.
The one thing that separated him from others was his reputation as a sharpshooter who consistently knocked down shots from well beyond the 3-point line. Knowing that, teams have always tried to run him off the line almost every time he touches the ball.
In response, Murphy has become more reliant on his ability to carve into defenses and make plays off the bounce. It’s become a primary aspect of his game this year as teams have placed more focus on keeping him inside the 3-point line without Williamson or Ingram to worry about.
Last season, Murphy had 13 games with 20-plus points, and he made at least five 3s in 10 of those performances. This season, he’s scored 20 or more points eight times, only hitting five or more 3s in one of those games. He’s also getting to the free-throw line, even throwing his weight around whenever he sees a smaller guard in his path.
TREY MURPHY COAST TO COAST SLAM pic.twitter.com/C8R7YZb3zx
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 15, 2024
“I think his work is showing. He’s always in the gym and in the weight room, and it’s paying off,” Pelicans wing Herb Jones said. “I don’t think we’ve seen his entire (offensive) bag. It’s slowly developing, and a lot of people are getting to see it. But it’s pretty much what we’ve always seen.”
Murphy has always taken pride in adding small nuances to his game every summer while working with longtime trainer Drew Hanlen, but this past summer was a different challenge for him.
With negotiations for his extension with the Pelicans looming, Murphy stayed away from contact drills most of the summer to ensure he remained healthy going into the season. This made it difficult him to get some of the live reps necessary to make those quick reads that have become a crucial part of his success. It also didn’t help that he strained his hamstring on the second day of training camp and was forced to miss the first 10 games of the season.
“It was really tough finding that rhythm I’m used to having when I’m comfortable out there,” Murphy said. “During the summer, I was working with my trainer on stuff to get past that first defender, but you can’t really replicate that second defender because I wasn’t doing contact in the summer. That’s what I’ve been really working on with film work: seeing that second defender and making the right read.”
But as Murphy has gotten more acclimated, he’s gotten better and finding open areas where he can hurt defenses.
There are still times when his handle, which can be too stiff, is an issue. He speeds up beyond his comfort zone when he is crowded.
Still, he’s putting more pressure on opposing defenses and forcing them to react to him. His court vision has also improved as he stacks more games as a primary scoring option.
“That’s how I’m supposed to play — making the right choices, being a playmaker, whether that’s for myself or others,” Murphy said. “That’s just how I expand my game and get to the point of being able to do everything on the court.”
While improving the other parts of his game will be important to his growth, Murphy still has to lean into what makes him great: being an elite 3-point shooter.
Despite all the added opportunities, Murphy isn’t shooting with the same frequency or efficiency as he did last season. In 2023-24, Murphy was shooting 9.5 3-pointers at a 38-percent clip per 36 minutes. This season, he’s down to 8.6 3-pointers per 36, making 35 percent.
While some of that is defenses trying to take away what he does best, he still has to get those shots up more frequently, even if they aren’t open looks. It goes back to seizing those opportunities when they come and not hesitating. There shouldn’t be a second thought if he has an inch of daylight, especially during these times when Williamson and Ingram aren’t healthy.
If he gets to the point where he’s scoring on drives as well as he has this year and he’s putting up more than 10 3-pointers per game, he’ll become a really dangerous weapon for this team.
Finding the right times to pick his spots and create those opportunities comes with getting these games where the pressure is on him to produce. With the season already lost, getting guys such as Murphy ready for the future has to be the primary focus in New Orleans. As his game improves, so will this team’s chances of building something meaningful once the inevitable roster shakeups arrive.
“I know I’ve got to shoot the ball better. There’s no doubt about that,” Murphy said. “I trust my work, though. Once those shots start falling, it’ll open up the rest of my game.”
(Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty )
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