Cavaliers Now

UVA in the NBA: Previewing Trey Murphy’s Rookie Season with the New Orleans Pelicans

After one stellar season at UVA, the 17th overall pick in the draft is in a great spot to have a big first year with the Pelicans

Matt Newton

With just a few days remaining until the 2021-2022 NBA season tips off, it is time to take an in-depth look at the UVA basketball alums playing in the league this season.

We’ll begin with the rookie, Trey Murphy.

Note: stay tuned for previews for Joe Harris, Ty Jerome, De’Andre Hunter, and Malcolm Brogdon.

Updates: 

Click here for the preview on Joe Harris. 

Click here for the preview on Ty Jerome

Click here for the preview on Malcolm Brogdon

Even without having played a single regular season NBA game, Trey Murphy has already made the Pelicans very happy that they selected him with the 17th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Murphy has had an incredible year, exceeding expectations in both the Summer League and the preseason.

In his Summer League debut on August 9th, Murphy drained six threes and recorded 26 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans against the Bulls.

In another great performance against the Warriors, Murphy dropped 22 points, six rebounds, and three steals and also scored the game-winning putback.

Over four games played in the Summer League, Murphy averaged a little over 16 points per game and shot 44.0% from three and 55.8% from the floor. He also recorded seven rebounds per game. Murphy was one of seven players selected to the All-Summer League First-Team.

Through the first four games of the NBA preseason, Murphy has only upped his game.

Murphy is currently leading the NBA in three-pointers made in the preseason with 17 threes. He is averaging 17.5 points per game on 53.1% from three and 43.1% from the field and is collecting an average of 6.5 rebounds per game.

Murphy made six threes and scored 21 points against the Timberwolves on October 4th.

Then, he made six threes again and scored 20 points against the Magic two days later.

On October 8th, Murphy recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Given Murphy’s play through the summer and into the fall thus far, the Pelicans already feel like they came away with a steal by drafting him in the middle of the first round.

New Orleans Pelicans this Season

New Orleans just barely missed the play-in tournament for the NBA Playoffs in 2021 and the Pelicans are hoping to return to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2018. The organization has been rebuilding ever since the departure of Anthony Davis and New Orleans hopes that Zion Williamson can be the new franchise player, if he can stay healthy.

Through his first two seasons, Williamson has been dominant when he has been able to stay on the court. He is the first player in NBA history to average at least 25 points in a season before the age of 21.

Together with another former Duke star, Brandon Ingram, who was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player as well as an All-Star in 2020, the Pelicans may have the core duo for a contending team.

The Pelicans lost Lonzo Ball, Steven Adams, and Eric Bledsoe from last season’s roster, but they have added Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte Graham, Tomas Satoransky, and Garrett Temple in addition to Trey Murphy. New Orleans will also be under the direction of new head coach Willie Green, who comes to the Pelicans after being an assistant with the Phoenix Suns to replace Stan Van Gundy, who coached the Pelicans for just one season.

In addition to Williamson and Ingram, the Pelicans also return Kira Lewis Jr, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Willy Hernangomez and Jaxson Hayes. It is a young, but talented team and they have the pieces to make a push to the playoffs this season.

Trey Murphy’s Fit with New Orleans

As a forward, Murphy is expectedly behind Williamson and Ingram on the depth chart, but he will likely see a great deal of playing time and could potentially earn himself a starting role early in the season, as Willie Green experiments with different starting lineups. Murphy fits extremely well around Williamson and Ingram, who are both ball-dominant players that need the ball in their hands in order to be effective. Murphy, on the other hand, does not need to possess the ball for very long in order to succeed. In fact, he did better throughout his college career when he was able to operate off ball: getting catch-and-shoot opportunities, cutting and slashing, and finishing lobs at the rim.

After turning in a 50-40-90 season in his one year at Virginia, Murphy has proven already that his lights-out shooting abilities will transition well to the NBA game. This should come as no surprise to anyone who watched Murphy play for the Cavaliers, as many of Murphy’s threes came from well outside the three-point arc, so he should have no problem with the extended three-point line in the NBA.

On the defensive end, Murphy’s size, athleticism, length, and speed allows him to feasibly guard every position. His versatility on defense combined with his efficiency on the offense end will make it very difficult for Willie Green to leave him off the court. On a roster full of young contributors and especially given the incredible year Murphy has had since he was drafted, there is no reason why he will not see significant minutes this season.

Trey Murphy will make his NBA debut on Wednesday, October 20th, at 8pm in New Orleans’ first game of the season at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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