New Orleans Pelicans: Why Trey Murphy III will outperform his draft spot

The New Orleans Pelicans selected Trey Murphy III with the 17th pick in last year’s draft, which is already looking like a steal.

The Pels dropped back seven spots after making a trade with Memphis that landed Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams and the 10th pick, which the Grizzlies eventually used to select Ziaire Williams.

The Memphis trade already looks good for the Pelicans, who not only got the best player in the deal, but picked up a $17 million trade exception and possibly the better player in the draft.

Even if Murphy III ends up being worse, he has a chance to thrive in New Orleans and some top scouts agree.

New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III named one of 5 players who will outperform his draft position.

According to Mike Schmitz, super-scout for ESPN, Trey Murphy III is going to be a steal who will outperform his draft spot.

There are a few reasons why Murphy III is tailor-made to succeed for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is used to playing off the ball, as he took most of his shots as catch-and-shoot opportunities in college.

He’s going to get plenty of looks from 3-point range with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram getting all the attention, and he has already shown he can knock them down, hitting 43 percent in college and 44 percent in Summer League, where he was named to the first team all Summer League squad.

Murphy III has also dedicated himself on defense, which should help his case for minutes, as the Pels are light on defensive wings and Murphy III has shown he can defend a couple of spots.

He took on some tough assignments in Summer League and did well against guys like Evan Mobley and Jonathan Kuminga, and I think he’ll get plenty of run with the New Orleans Pelicans in games that matter to show he was not a Summer League flash in the pan.

We could even see Murphy III break into the starting lineup, especially if he can defend.

It’s nice to see the New Orleans Pelicans get some props for their offseason, as I believe they have improved and should be in the running for the playoffs in the Western Conference.

If they do get there, Murphy III will probably have made an impact and will be viewed as a steal coming from the 17th pick.