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

Could Trey Murphy III become a creator for Detroit Pistons?

Right now, what Trey Murphy III has shown on tape is what is typically thought of as a 3-and-D wing. So, while I believe in his upside, what he has showcased so far indicates a player who does not do a whole lot with the ball in his hands. He will require much more development time there.

For starters, there is not a lot of tape that showcases what level his handle is at.

I dug back into his film at Rice University,  and there were a few instances where he took guys off the dribble in isolation (even busting out some Jamal Crawford behind the legs crossover), but these were very rare. He did consistently attack closeouts, and can bust out a shot fake, then dribble to the hole when his defender bites, but that is about it for his handles.

It may be the case that he simply was not asked to be a creator, since he is such a great shooter, or it could be the case that he has never had to develop a lot of ball handling ability because he is such a good shooter. Whatever the case may be, his ball handling ability is a major question mark.

Murphy’s passing and vision are also average at best. While I would not call him a bad passer, his numbers indicate someone who did not create a lot of opportunities for his teammates. Murphy never reached 40 assists in any year, and his career high for assist percentage was 8.7 percent his sophomore year. He does keep his turnovers very low at least, only posting 19 TOs to his 30 assists this past year at Virginia.

But again, Virginia’s scheme is slower and conservative than most teams, so it may also be the case of playing in a scheme. Only two guys on the team last year averaged more than 1.8 assists per game. Virginia players in general have not had a chance to showcase their full playmaking potential in the past, with both Malcolm Brogdon and De’Andre Hunter never cracking 3.5 assists per game.

Something that is not an issue for me, but I know will be for some, is if Murphy’s shot mechanics will be an issue? He has kind of a shot put form, starting closer to his shoulder and his release is also longer. Why I don’t think it will be much of an issue, is I see this as a similar situation to Devin Vassell and Mikal Bridges, and they shoot fine in the NBA.

Both players do have longer releases on their shots, but they are already tall, with such long arms that the release point for their jumpshot is much higher than the vast majority of players. This higher release point makes it incredibly difficult for any defender to be able to effect the shot.

And like with Bridges and Vassell, this has shown itself on film where you do not see Murphy effected by pressure or having a hand in his face. The ball comes out cleanly and consistently, since there are very few defenders tall enough, or with the leaping ability to effect the shot.