Whenever fans think of the New Orleans Pelicans, the names of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram always come up. But, some players have been climbing up the ladder en route to a huge breakout season. Coach Willie Green had given his full trust to Trey Murphy III when they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is safe to say that the head honcho loved how he torched the Cavs, via the team's X account.
“He should've had 40 … He's confident, he's starting to put the ball on the floor a little more … He's a weapon for us,” was the bold declaration that Willie Green made after Trey Murphy III put on a show.
The team did not have Zion Williamson so someone had to step up and take over. One would guess that Brandon Ingram would take on the scoring load but he only scored 17 points and six assists despite playing 28 minutes. Murphy was the one who came off blazing for the Pelicans instead. He notched 28 buckets along with three dimes to showcase his offensive artillery. Four cleaned up boards rounded out his insane performance en route to a 19-point win.
The Cavs threw everything at them but nothing was working. Dean Wade was the opponents' leading scorer with 20 points while Isaac Okoro ut up 16 to follow him up. The Pelicans also outhustled them in the boards which netted the squad 40 rebounds to eclipse the Cavs' 35.
Murphy has a lot of time to prove that he can go toe-to-toe with the stars. His coach already trusts him so all he has to do is deliver.