NEW ORLEANS – Over his last 11 games, Trey Murphy III hasn’t found a consistent stride. He’s averaging 10.4 on a frigid 29.4% from beyond the arc and a 49.8% true shooting mark, which would place him in the bottom 10th percentile across the entire league. For a player as usually efficient as Murphy throughout his career, this cold stretch is surprising. Is this a random, flukey slump or is there something more to Murphy’s shooting issues?
Though Murphy’s percentages have slipped, he hasn’t lost confidence in his jumper. His three-point volume increased slightly over the cold stretch (7.1 -> 7.8 attempts per game). Shooters won’t escape a cold streak by not shooting threes. Murphy knows this, as he’s continued to fire away despite not being able to find the bottom of the net.
Despite the misses, teams still play up on Murphy. Because Murphy isn’t shying away from his jumper, defenders still sell out to stop it. Reputations stick and players know how deadly Murphy is, especially from deep range. Even when Murphy isn’t hitting shots, he still adds to the Pelicans’ spacing and helps out the rest of the offense, opening lanes for drivers. It’s clear that defenses still respect him which is key for his role as a spacer.
| FG% | Avg. Dist. | 2P FG% | 3P FG% | Corner 3 %3PA | Corner 3 3P% | 3PA/Game | |
| 2022-23 | .484 | 17.7 | .611 | .406 | .266 | .424 | 6.3 |
| 2023-24 | .428 | 20.2 | .591 | .359 | .192 | .300 | 7.1 |
Amidst the three-point shooting slump, Murphy’s two-point scoring hasn’t dipped. Shooting 84.6% in the restricted area and 50% in the paint (on low volume), Murphy still thrives attacking off of the catch, exploiting his own shooting gravity.
Defenders still run Murphy off of the line like he’s a 40% sniper; the scouting reports haven’t altered. Murphy has the handling skills and finishing aptitude to make the most off of these closeout attacks. He could even look to slash more aggressively as the shot isn’t falling, using this slump as a chance to develop his ancillary skills further.
Fans shouldn’t fret much over Trey Murphy’s shooting slump even considering the Pelicans’ recent inconsistency. Even the all-time great shooters endure cold streaks and the fact that Murphy hasn’t lost his confidence is a hallmark of those legendary shooters. He’s still driving and scoring effectively. Sometimes, the threes just don’t fall.
It’s hard to replace the spacing gravity Trey Murphy offers. He stretches defenses like few other wings and is invaluable for granting Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to operate. He’s well worth riding this slump out, at least in the current moment.
Analysis by Ben Pfeifer
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Just wish he wouldn’t take so many unnecessary 35 foot shots. But overall, I am not concerned.
It looks like he is stopping his momentum towards the basket. Maybe it is a result of trying to avoid contact with defenders, something he should be trying to get. Three at the line is still 3. He needs a mid-range when he runs off the arc, a nice pull is sometimes better the driving into a crowd lane