Trey Murphy III authored a smashing professional debut in Las Vegas in 2021, racking up points, threes and rebounds en route to earning a spot on the All-Summer League First Team. In his encore performance this year, Murphy may not play enough games to repeat that honor, but midway through the 12-day event, he’s garnering attention again based on his play.
On NBA.com’s “Summer League MVP Ladder” posted Tuesday – yes, that’s an actual thing – the listed 6-foot-8 forward placed fourth, after his 30-point eruption vs. Atlanta in a 101-73 runaway. The top four names on NBA.com’s rankings are all entering Year 2 of their careers, including Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas, New York’s Quentin Grimes, Golden State’s Moses Moody and Murphy. Sacramento rookie Keegan Murray rounds out the quintet.
Murphy followed up a 23-point outing vs. Portland on Saturday with his 30-pointer against the Hawks, featuring highly efficient shooting (10/18 from the field, 7/9 at the foul line, 3/6 on treys). He powered New Orleans to a halftime lead with 17 points, then helped put Atlanta away in the fourth quarter with 10 points, including a pair of deep threes. Pelicans summer head coach Jarron Collins indicated after the victory that Murphy and Naji Marshall may have completed their participation in games in Las Vegas, but over his two appearances, Murphy demonstrated an expanded offensive skill set and was dominant at times.
“I thought Trey did a really good job of letting the game come to him,” Collins said. “He drove when there were lanes, he shot the three with no hesitation, he made plays and early passes. When you play like that, it can look easy.”
If Murphy’s summer league stint is over, he wound up with final averages of 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals, along with shooting 50 percent from the field and 88 percent on free throws.
“It was great,” Pelicans point guard Jared Harper said of having Murphy and his game-changing ability as an offensive weapon. “Just being able to stretch the floor and shoot. He’s working on his game, putting the ball on the floor, getting to the free-throw line, finishing around the basket a lot.”