Trey Murphy III is back and better than ever.
A big-time sophomore jump had the former Virginia basketball star and current New Orleans Pelicans wing in the conversation for Most Improved Player in the 2022-2023 season - he finished seventh in the voting for that award. But his plans to build off of that momentum coming into his third year in the NBA were temporarily put on hold as he suffered a meniscus injury during an offseason workout that required surgery and held him out of the first 19 games of the season.
When Murphy returned to the court, it was expected that he'd have some rust to shake off. So far, that hasn't been the case at all.
Murphy scored 18 points in his season debut on December 1st and has since scored in double figures in each of the five games he has played in, helping the Pelicans to a 4-1 record during that stretch. The lone loss came against the title-bound Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas.
Murphy's impressive play since his return from injury culminated in a brilliant performance against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, as he poured in 27 points on 7/10 shooting and 6/7 from beyond the arc to go along with six rebounds, four assists to zero turnovers, two steals and a block. Murphy was a staggering +43 in his 32 minutes on the floor and was one of the main reasons the Pelicans were able to pull away for a 142-122 victory on the road.
By itself, the fact that Murphy was 6/7 from three-point range is already remarkable. But it's even more outstanding when you take a look at how far Murphy was from the basket when he was taking, and making, those three-pointers. All six of his made threes came from at least 28 feet, an incredible feat that had only been accomplished by four other players in the last 30 years.
Watch the highlights from Murphy's performance against the Wizards in the video below.
Murphy has taken no time at all in picking up right where he left off and even elevating his numbers from a season ago even as he continues to come off the bench for the Pelicans. He is taking more threes - 7.4 attempts per game, up from 6.3 last year - and making them at a higher clip - 43.2%, up from 40.6% last season. And even his scoring average is now 17.0 points per game, up from 14.5 last season.
The Pelicans have a great deal of talent on their roster, but it might be time to consider reinserting Trey Murphy III back into the starting lineup.
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