NBA Draft Preview: Trey Murphy III should be targeted by Detroit Pistons

Trey Murphy III could be a needed shooter for Detroit Pistons

First and foremost, Murphy is a truly legit shooter. Not only did he post that 43.3 percent on threes in 4.8 attempts per game at a 62.8 percent attempt rate, these are average numbers in his three-year college career with the Cavaliers.

Every year he put up at least 120 total three-point attempts, knocking them down at a 42.1 percent or higher percentage, all while playing at least 660 minutes per season. Oh and his career lows of 42.1 percent from three and 660 minutes came in his Freshman season, so he has shown progression even from setting such lofty expectations his first season.

This past season saw him put up a career low of 120 three point attempts from three, but as will be a running theme in this article, it is important to consider Virginia runs an offense that operates at a much slower pace than the average college program.

Coach Tony Bennett emphasizes that their offense be efficient more than anything else, so they will run their sets and motions to find an open look, rather than play to set a fast pace.

So, when you look at film, you will see Murphy lined up in the corners a lot, or ready and getting set behind a big or driver to launch up a three, while his teammate draws an extra defender. What you will also see is a player who looks to drop the hammer at the rim any time he gets even a small amount of space to the hoop.

Why I bring up Virginia’s slower paced offense, and then talk about Murphy’s finishing skills, I think we have severely underrated explosiveness that the Virginia offense is not designed to take full advantage of, but an NBA offense will. While 62.8 percent of Murphy’s offense was threes, 24.1 percent of his offense were shots at the rim. On these attempts, directly at the hoop, he shot 69.6 percent.

To put that 69.6 percent at the rim into perspective, that is a higher percentage than Moses Moody, Keon Johnson and even some big men like Isaiah Jackson.

And when you go to the film, you will see Murphy dunking in a variety of situations: as a cutter, in transition and as a vertical lob threat. He even parked himself in the dunker spot at times and elevated above the rim from a standstill. In an offense where he can get out and run in transition more, like in the NBA, or one that utilizes him as a wing screener and roll man, I believe he will be a tough matchup, since he can hit the shots most emphasized by the NBA today (the three and shots at the rim) at an incredibly high rate.

Just check out his highlights here.

We need to mention, Murphy has great size that can be utilized on both sides of the court.

At six foot nine (and a quarter) inches, with a seven-foot wingspan, Murphy covers a ton of ground on defense, which he showcased this past season at Virginia. He can get down in a defensive stance consistently at his height, slide his feet, and utilize his length to alter shots even when he gets beat.

I think he is also an underrated rebounder due to his physicality. The dunking is an indicator of this as well, but Murphy was able to get in the paint and scrap for boards, and not be pushed around in spite of looking so skinny. While his rebounding numbers are not that high, it is more due to the fact that he played with two legitimate bigs in Sam Hauser and Jay Huff, whose jobs were to be the primary rebounders.