Despite the season ending in disappointment, there is still plenty to be excited about if you are a fan of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion Williamson, at just 22 years old, is already one of the best players on the planet (when he’s healthy). Brandon Ingram closed out the season playing like an All-Star after returning from a toe injury that cost him two months of the year. And Herbert Jones and Dyson Daniels showed great promise as a dynamic perimeter defensive duo of the future.
That excitement should only increase when you see this graphic put together by NBA University (@NBA_University on Twitter) using data from the website immeasurably valuable Basketball Index.
Trey “Real Stroker” Murphy III. His right wing 29 footers in semi-transition feel automatic. Excellent positional size, good vertical athlete, 99th percentile transition ppp, 96th percentile spot-up shooter. Excited to watch his defense/off-dribble game continue to blossom…22yo! pic.twitter.com/pJr91yjC5L
— NBA University (@NBA_University) May 30, 2023
Most of these metrics highlight his ability as an off-ball spacer, which makes him the perfect player to pair next to on-ball scorers/playmakers like Williamson, Ingram, and CJ McCollum.
But the statistic that might be the most impressive is his pull-up 3-point shooting ranking. According to B-Ball Index, he’s in the 92nd percentile in pull-up 3-point percentage. Now, only 10% of his threes are of the pull-up variety. But even with this caveat out there, it is an indicator that he could be adding a more polished off-the-dribble element to his game in the future.
As we’ve learned in these playoffs, even off-ball spacers like Murphy need to be able to put the ball on the floor and drive closeouts. Murphy has already flashed that ability this season, and he could be adding even more to his bag of tricks in the near future.
As NBA University alludes to in his tweet, these metrics say nothing about Murphy’s insane vertical pop (remember, he finished second in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest) or enticing tools as a defender.
It’s these tantalizing features in his game that have led some analysts to call him an early frontrunner to win the Most Improved Player of the Year award. And while the winner of that award is historically difficult to predict, the fact that he’s being included in that conversation just shows how bright the future is for Murphy.