Pelicans: What are reasonable expectations for Trey Murphy III?

The New Orleans Pelicans have made a lot of roster changes this summer that have drawn mixed reviews.

It’s debatable whether they have improved after shipping out three starters and replacing them with Devonte’ Graham and Jonas Valanciunas.

Graham is probably a wash at best compared to Lonzo Ball and could be a step back while Valanciunas is a similar, albeit better player than Adams who also does most of his damage from the inside.

If the Pelicans are really going to improve, they will need big contributions from some of their young, unproven players, including rookie Trey Murphy III.

Murphy III was a standout in Summer League and looks like one of the steals of the last draft, but is it reasonable to think that he will make an impact in his rookie season?

New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III just needs to stay in his lane

If Trey Murphy III just does the things he is already good at, he will thrive in New Orleans and could make an impact right away.

Unlike Kira Lewis Jr., who was asked to run the offense off the bench as a young point guard last season, Murphy III won’t be asked to do much on the offensive end.

All he needs to do is be a knockdown 3-point shooter. The Pelicans don’t need him to beat people off the dribble or run the offense, so he can focus on the thing he does very well, which is shoot from long range.

He hit nearly half of his 3-point shots in Summer League and looks like he is ready to assume that role.

Murphy III also played well defensively, guarding several different positions and taking on tough assignments in top picks Evan Mobley and Jonathan Kuminga. The New Orleans Pelicans are going to ask him to do a lot on this end, as Brandon Ingram is not a great defender, so they need help on the wing.

I do worry that giving a rookie this much defensive responsibility will affect his shooting, so the Pelicans are going to need to deploy him effectively and in the right lineups.

Because he won’t have any pressure on the offensive end, Murphy III will make an impact if he just makes shots, but the question is whether he is ready to handle the tough defensive assignments.

I think it’s reasonable that he’ll become an effective 3-and-D player off the Pels’ bench next season who will evolve into more over time.