SL Game 2 Recap: Tr3y Day!
Edited to add E.J. Liddell suffered a torn ACL.
Pelicans Summer League Game 2
Game 2 was as equally as depressing as it was exciting for the young guys out there. Trey "Trigga" Murphy III came out with the intention to do damage and did not disappoint. Naji still looked like Naji but his shots seemed to favor the inside of the rim this time shooting 40% instead of 17% this game. The downside of this game was the unfortunate event of E.J. Liddell going down not once, but twice, with a knee injury. We likely will not see Dyson or Liddell going forward even if Liddell's injury turns out to be nothing the fact that all three draft picks have suffered an injury does not bode well for their playing time. Matkovic having stitches and his playing time will likely purely depend on his healing and how he feels since he is a draft and stash. Let's get into the cheese and grits of the recap!
Trey Murphy III
In the Game 1 Recap I stated that Trey Murphy III deserves his own paragraph and guess what? He does again. Trey took his Game 1 foundation and just built on top of. He looks more confident as a ball handler, as a defender, and as a legit 6'10 (I am guessing) guy. I said before that he looked like a willing defender and after seeing it twice, I am getting the idea that is isn't only a willing defender, but a good one. He has taken his growth and what I feel is an increase in weight/size as well and putting it to use. I noticed at least 3 times where another player was behind the arc and Trey made it look easy to close the gap, get high, and make the shot result in an airball as the opposing player had to shoot a rainbow to get it over his 217” wingspan. Trey has shown all he can show, with that being said, we probably won't get to see him show much more as the injuries to Liddell and Dyson will make the team all the more cautious.
E.J. Liddell
Liddell looked more confident and fluid, the game seemed to just come to him easier this time around. Baby bigs are usually slower to adapt to the NBA pace so I do not have insanely high hopes for Liddell right out of the gate. With that being said, he did show off a decent post game and racked up a quick 6 points and 4 rebounds in his limited minutes. He went 3 for 3 from the field and overall just looked more confident in what he was doing. The only news that is currently available for him is that he was getting an MRI on his knee. We can only hope no news is good news, but time will tell.
The 2-Way Hopefuls
It feels like deja vu from last Summer League where Dalton Hommes was signed to a 2-Way early but did not quite produce like he was worth it. Dereon Seabron is the only Pelican currently locked up with a 2-Way deal and personally, I hope they are keeping him a secret because so far he has not impressed. Plowden, and Petty Jr. on the other hand... wow. Daeqwon Plowden finished the game with 16 points and 6 rebounds but he just seemed to make a play when the Pelicans needed it which is what you want from a depth guy. Trey Murphy III said after the game that he is a “dawg” and was spot on when he said that it is what they try and do as an organization. The Pelicans as of late have found a niche in finding the under “dawgs” of the draft by finding an undrafted guy like Petty Jr. or Plowden. Currently, they are the two I expect to make it onto the 17th spot, which one will come down to the next 3 games. My money would be on Petty, primarily because of his shooting and familiarity with both Herb Jones and Kira Lewis Jr. as former teammates for the Crimson Tide. Jared Harper had another strong performance but unfortunately he would have to do a lot more to make it than Plowden or Petty Jr.
It's Basketball
Players growing, players developing, undrafted success stories, and even injuries are all a part of the game. We have had what feels like a disproportionate amount of injuries in our time but for the first time in a while it feels like we don't have to worry about draft picks being the next Lebron. We just need guys who want to be here, and win here. This Summer League is about showing young guys your culture, and figuring out which one of them fits best for you. While it may be less exciting, I still plan on tuning in until the very end to see which guy will show out on Wednesday. Will it be Tyrique Jones? Or maybe we will even see some John Butler run. I will be watching because it's basketball.
A quick share helps us a lot!
