The New Orleans Pelicans have put together a more than competitive roster with a solid mixture of young rising stars and NBA veterans.
As the season approaches, the Pelicans hope the organization has found the recipe to success. In addition, one of the keys to the team’s success could be ready to make another jump.
“Assuming Brandon Ingram is eventually traded, (Trey) Murphy should take over a spot in the New Orleans Pelicans' starting lineup and boost last year's average of 29.6 minutes per game,” Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes writes.
“If he plays alongside starters more often, it'll mean defenses won't be able to pay quite as much attention to him as a perimeter threat or secondary attacker.”
“Those dynamics could allow Murphy, who put together quite a reel last year en route to 14.8 points per game, to produce another attention-grabbing highlight package.”
Murphy was selected with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft before being traded to the Pelicans.
The Virginia alum has developed into a nice rotation player for New Orleans and has shown flashes of being more than a role player.
As the team considers moving on from Ingram, it could open up room for even more growth in Murphy’s game. Regardless, the forward will have a big role with the team this upcoming season.
If it all comes together for the ACC product, he could be a dark horse candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
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