Co-Rookies of the Day: Trey Murphy III and Davion Mitchell
Plenty of rookies took the court on Monday, including the likes of Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Kuminga and Ziaire Williams, all Top-10 picks from this year’s draft, but Trey Murphy III and Davion Mitchell each are my Co-Rookies of the Day for Day 2 of NBA Summer League.
Starting with Murphy, the Pelicans were able to snag him with the 17th overall pick in the draft after trading down from 10th overall and man did they score big with this guy! One Summer League game does not define a guy’s career by any means and this could just be one great game that Murphy had, but I promise you, this guy is the real deal.
With multiple games going on at the same time, you oftentimes find yourself alternating between the two arenas here in Las Vegas Summer League and seeing what is going on with everybody that is playing, but I could not and did not get out of my seat during the Pelicans game because I did not want to miss a single second of Murphy playing!
Every single time he had the ball in his hands on offense, something special happened and multiple times he put his athleticism on full display by dunking over his opponents. In just over 27 minutes on the floor, Trey Murphy III scored a total of 26 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and was fantastic on the defensive-end of the floor. Of those 26 points he scored, 18 of them came from beyond-the-arc!
Standing about 6’9” with a 7’1” wingspan, Murphy is able to disrupt passing lanes defensively and given how quick he is on his feet laterally, he is able to keep his opponents in front of him. All-around, Trey Murphy III is a terrific prospect and the Pelicans are going to have to work him into the rotation early on in the season because he can help them win games and do so immediately!
READ MORE: 2021 NBA Summer League Day 1 Review & Headlines
Believe it or not, the Kings have done something right in their backcourt over the years, building with the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, and they have done so again by drafting Davion Mitchell 9th overall this year. At Baylor, Mitchell was a standout performer that helped lead his team to a national championship and he is an animal on the defensive-end of the floor.
No matter who had the ball in their hands for Charlotte, nobody seemed to be able to get past Davion Mitchell, as he put every single one of his opponents in jail when he was guarding them. When you look at his stats from Day 2 on defense, you will only see 1 steal and 1 block, but if forced turnovers were considered steals, Mitchell would have been flirting with double-digit steals!
He is arguably the most elite defender to come out of the draft in quite some time and while they do have Fox and Haliburton in their backcourt, I do not see how the Kings will be able to keep Davion Mitchell off the court. Mitchell is as NBA-ready as they come in this league coming out of the draft and he can also get things done on offense.
READ MORE: 2021 NBA Summer League Day 1 Review & Headlines
Against the Hornets, he scored 10 points and dished out 9 assists, which should fit him in perfectly next to the likes of Fox and Haliburton. Not to mention, he can take a lot of pressure off of both of the Kings young guards.
Trey Murphy III and Davion Mitchell were terrific during Day 2 of NBA Summer League and as a result, they are my two Rookies of the Day from Monday’s games.
