New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy shattered already high expectations, delivering a career year. Discover his standout stats, developing playmaking, and areas for growth in this in-depth 2026 season review.
The New Orleans Pelicans' season did not go as planned, but it was an interesting year for almost all of the players (for better or worse). There were some surprises, some let-downs and a whole lot of information to unpack before building next year's team.
To better understand the team as a whole, it's important to break everything down to the individual level. Here's a look at what went well, what went wrong and an overall grade for Pelicans star Trey Murphy's 2026 campaign:
What Went Well
There was a lot that went right for Murphy this season, as he ended up having a career year and was undoubtedly the team's best player. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists with 47.0/37.9/88.6 shooting splits this past season, which are almost career-highs across the board.
Murphy has put a lot more on his plate than just shooting. He is trying to do a little bit of everything. More playmaking for others, increased defensive activity, etc. Early on, it looked to be a little overwhelming, but Murphy smoothed out as the year went along.
The 25-year-old touched the ball a lot in this offense and was trustworthy with it. He was one of the most efficient scorers in the league while also playmaking more than ever and still not turning it over very much.
What Went Wrong
The only real holes in Murphy's game right now is his offensive rebound rate (33rd percentile) and mid-range shooting (30th percentile). It's hard to really complain about what he has done this season and the strides he continues to make, but those are two things that have always hindered him.
The other one is that he played in 66 games, meaning he has still only played in at least 70 games once in his career. Injuries aren't a major concern for him, in the way that it is for someone like Zion Williamson, but he is prone to miss a few games throughout the year.
Overall Grade - A
There is a reason that Murphy is one of the more valued young wings in the league. He's the perfect piece to add to a winning basketball team. He is a sharpshooter who can drop 40 on any given night and is athletic around the rim. As long as he is playing like he is, New Orleans will be happy to have him.
What's Next?
At his year-end press conference, Murphy mentioned that he wants to get stronger going into next season. That would allow him to be a little bit more competitive down low, similar to the way that Saddiq Bey is able to bully people down low.
He said he both needs to add strength and work on keeping it on, because he was feeling good early last year and then lost it as time went on.