New Orleans Pelicans star Trey Murphy has a renewed focus on becoming a real two-way player.
The New Orleans Pelicans are going to need more out of their stars if they want to turn things around this season.
Forward Trey Murphy, for example, was elite on the offensive side of the ball. He posted 21.5 points per night on 47.0/37.9/88.6 shooting splits. While that is still going to be important in this new Jamahl Mosley-led system, they're going to need more on the defensive side.
"[The coaches have preached] that I could be one of the best two-way players in the league and that's how I see myself as well. I know that there's not a ton of real-deal two-way players. So just being able to elevate my game in that sense and just take it seriously and just understand it's a focal point for us."
Murphy isn't a poor defender. He is very active in passing lanes, generating a ton of steals and deflections, but it's not part of what people know him for. This coaching staff wants that to change.
The 26-year-old joked about how he used to get extra treatment the night before facing the Orlando Magic because he knew how physical they would be. That physical nature on the defensive side was something that Murphy didn't bring, or wasn't being asked to bring, in the past.
It does make sense; players have talked about the phenomenon before. With how much Murphy would bring to the offense, he would conserve some of that energy and wouldn't be the first person to stand in there and draw a charge. This year, he believes being in better shape will help him contribute
"I think a lot of it is just being in shape. That's the biggest thing. I think the last two summers, I wasn't able to play as much as I have been this summer because of injury or contract negotiation," said Murphy. "I'm very prepared to play as much as I need to and as hard as I need to."
At the same time, Murphy can't allow the renewed focus on defense to take away from his offense. That's part of being a two-way player. He is one of the only real three-point threats who is taken seriously on this team.
Shot creation is an area where Murphy has been focusing on improving. Both for himself and for others. He has taken strides as a ball-handler since focusing on that a few years ago, but that's only the start.
A whopping 74.3% of his shots were assisted by others, which is his role, but he would like the ability to have it evened out a bit. The less predictable someone becomes on offense, the better. Murphy talked about diversifying his shot profile.
"[I want to be] able to make any shot on the court, so then defenses can't just take away everything. [Be able to] get where I want to get on the court. Also just playing slower so I can make better reads on whether that's scoring for myself or getting a good shot for myself," said the wing.
Murphy wants to be one of the best in the league. He has put an emphasis on watching how the greats find success. He has respect for what this coaching staff has done in the past. If he can reach this goal of being one of the best two-way players in the NBA, then this team could end up reaching the new heights they want to.
