San Antonio Spurs Prospect Watch: Trey Murphy

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Trey Murphy
Photo via virginiasports.com

The San Antonio Spurs will have plenty of options for picks when they get to their second-round selection. One of the more intriguing options available to them will be Virginia’s Trey Murphy. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward is a promising 3-and-D prospect in this draft who should fly under the radar.

The rising senior (he is in the NBA Draft, but also maintained his eligibility) is a late bloomer in this draft. He started at Rice and transferred to Virginia after two years in Texas.

Murphy played well moving up to a Power Five conference and seemed to fit in quite well with the Cavaliers playing for Coach Tony Bennett. Here are some of the numbers to prove it from this past season.

Stats

  • 11.3 PPG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 APG, 3.4 RPG
  • 50.3 FG%, 43.3 3P%, 92.7 FT%
  • 20.9 PER, 129.8 ORtg, 102 DRtg

Murphy has a chance to be a solid defender who can check two or three positions. He has to get stronger in order to do that, but he has the work ethic and has gotten a ton of praise from Tony Bennett on that subject.

One sticking point for Murphy is that he will have to get used to the tempo of the NBA after playing at Virginia, which is one of the slowest-paced teams in college ball. However, De’Andre Hunter hasn’t seemed at a disadvantage coming out of that system, so that’s a good example for Murphy to emulate.

The Cavalier’s biggest strength is going to be his ability to catch and shoot efficiently. He can add value by attacking aggressive closeouts and hitting his pull-ups, which look good in a small sample size. He should be a guy who can create some gravity and take defenders away from other potential drivers like Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, and Derrick White.

Should Murphy stay in the NBA Draft, he is looking like a second-rounder right now. However, he might have a chance to sneak into the first round at the NBA Combine. This is of course assuming he gets the invite and plays up to his potential.

Should he have a bad showing, that might allow him to become available in the second round for the Spurs to pick.

For more on the NBA Draft prospects we’ve highlighted before, check out our big board below:

San Antonio Spurs: 2021 NBA Draft Prospects Board

 

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