Could Murphy go pro after this season?

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Otis

Otis

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He has 35 and 23 points and double digit rebounds in the first two games. Could our 6'6" PF conceivably average close to 20 and ten for the season and decide to go pro?

Things that would hold him back would be his lack of a position in the NBA as he is too short for PF and probably too slow for SF. There are a few guys who have done well with similar abilities such as Dejuan Blair, but they are few and far between.

That said, if he keeps this up and ends up being B1G MVP of tourney MVP. He could bolt to take advantage of his chance to grab the money.

I hope we have to worry. Go Murph Go!!
 

Otis said:
He has 35 and 23 points and double digit rebounds in the first two games. Could our 6'6" PF conceivably average close to 20 and ten for the season and decide to go pro?

Things that would hold him back would be his lack of a position in the NBA as he is too short for PF and probably too slow for SF. There are a few guys who have done well with similar abilities such as Dejuan Blair, but they are few and far between.

That said, if he keeps this up and ends up being B1G MVP of tourney MVP. He could bolt to take advantage of his chance to grab the money.

I hope we have to worry. Go Murph Go!!
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Nope. Unless he wants to go for a late 2nd round pick. If he wins those awards he would at best be a 2nd round pick given his height and poor shooting. At 6'6" he would absolutely need to add an outside shot to be effective at the next level and NBA teams know it.
 

Tim1406 said:
Nope. Unless he wants to go for a late 2nd round pick. If he wins those awards he would at best be a 2nd round pick given his height and poor shooting. At 6'6" he would absolutely need to add an outside shot to be effective at the next level and NBA teams know it.
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Agreed. His shot at the NBA is directly related to his ability to develop a perimeter game that isn't there yet. Also, the only smart thing I heard Brando say last night was that future opponents better double up Murph. So far, they haven't. If he can manage the inevitable double teams, he'll be making huge steps.
 

As others have said, would be really surprised if he goes pro after this year because he just doesn't fit the NBA mold. Bad for him, great for us because it most likely means we have him for another year. Even if he doesn't fit the pro mold he can be an outstanding college player.

The great thing about this team is that even if teams start to double up on Murphy it just means that someone else is going to be wide open. With our starting lineup who do you leave alone? If you leave Lynch he will just dunk all day, if you leave Coffey, McBrayer or Mason they will just drive to the basket for layups or kill you by hitting jumpers. It still feels crazy to say it, but our starting 5 is a matchup nightmare for pretty much anyone. And then you have Washington sitting over there on the bench ready to come in and blow things up. It is really hard not to be excited about this team.
 

Holy Man said:
Agreed. His shot at the NBA is directly related to his ability to develop a perimeter game that isn't there yet. Also, the only smart thing I heard Brando say last night was that future opponents better double up Murph. So far, they haven't. If he can manage the inevitable double teams, he'll be making huge steps.
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His passing game remains needs to continue improving and he doesn't have a three point shot yet. (His pass to Lynch for the dunk in the first half was a play he wouldn't have made last year.) Obviously, really, really strong with much improved footwork around the basket.

I think he could have a pretty decent career overseas making $200-$400K a year. There are probably ten two guards in the NBA taller than Murphy. He's at least four inches too small for his skill set to work in the NBA.
 


Murph, Mason and Lynch will all make a lot of money playing in Europe. Of those three Lynch has the best shot at landing a bench role in the association. Mason and Murphy are great college players but they're both on the island of misfit toys as far as the NBA goes
 

bemidjigopher said:
Murph, Mason and Lynch will all make a lot of money playing in Europe. Of those three Lynch has the best shot at landing a bench role in the association. Mason and Murphy are great college players but they're both on the island of misfit toys as far as the NBA goes
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A lot of money, either in Europe or China. The Chinese league has helped drive up European salaries.
 

Murphy can play pro basketball, just not in the NBA.

He is only one inch shorter than Draymond Green but can't shoot, pass or handle the ball like Draymond can.

I really like Murph. He has made huge strides since last season. He is a better ball handler and passer. His mid-range game looks decent (though a small sample size). He is a freaking beast on the glass. Great athlete. Needs to keep it going all year
 

Zero chance. He needs to develop a 3 point shot first. That will take both of the remaining years - if it ever happens.
 



I think Murphy could be like an Andre Roberson at the next level, but going pro this year would be a mistake. He needs another year to develop some kind of outside or mid range shot.
 

Frank Grimey Grimes said:
I think Murphy could be like an Andre Roberson at the next level, but going pro this year would be a mistake. He needs another year to develop some kind of outside or mid range shot.
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Agree that he will need an outside shot to play at the next level (NBA or Europe) but let's hope he works on that in practice. I would much rather see him spend nearly all his time under the basket in games where he is an absolute beast. Let the other guys take 3's, he can clean up the misses and get the put back dunks.
 

GopherJake said:
Zero chance. He needs to develop a 3 point shot first. That will take both of the remaining years - if it ever happens.
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He already has been working hard on his outside shooting. We don't have much of a sample size to see how well he can shoot come game time, but we'll find out this year.
 

We had a woman's player make the leap to the WNBA a couple years ago and given our murphy's law luck Murphy will probably turn pro early - to play in China.

I am joking, but as a Minnesotan we always have to think of worst-case sports scenarios and feel sorry for ourselves.
 



bemidjigopher said:
Murph, Mason and Lynch will all make a lot of money playing in Europe. Of those three Lynch has the best shot at landing a bench role in the association. Mason and Murphy are great college players but they're both on the island of misfit toys as far as the NBA goes
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There are some exceptions-- the Nate Robinsons/Jameer Nelsons/Isaiah Thomas' of the world. Incredible handling and the capacity to score at a decent clip seem to be necessary to make it at the next level. I'm intrigued to see how Jordan Bell (Oregon) pans out for Golden State. Similar body type to Murph, a little more explosive.
 

buzz_likeyear said:
There are some exceptions-- the Nate Robinsons/Jameer Nelsons/Isaiah Thomas' of the world. Incredible handling and the capacity to score at a decent clip seem to be necessary to make it at the next level. I'm intrigued to see how Jordan Bell (Oregon) pans out for Golden State. Similar body type to Murph, a little more explosive.
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It does seem like Murph has gotten a little better at his ball handling but still doesn't seem like a super strong point for him. I remember cringing last year when he would try to dribble drive to the basket. He is so much better when he can make his move from in close where his strength becomes a huge advantage.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It does seem like Murph has gotten a little better at his ball handling but still doesn't seem like a super strong point for him. I remember cringing last year when he would try to dribble drive to the basket. He is so much better when he can make his move from in close where his strength becomes a huge advantage.
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I'm not saying Murphy can be Kawhi Leonard - but if there is a model to shoot for- he's the guy. Leonard was a 25% 3 point shooter in college and at 6-7 not a perfect NBA fit on the drawing board- but what a player he is. Again- not a Leonard comparison at this point but a target Murphy can look to. I think he is better to stay another year in college and perfect what he has in big minutes here.
 

bga1 said:
I'm not saying Murphy can be Kawhi Leonard - but if there is a model to shoot for- he's the guy. Leonard was a 25% 3 point shooter in college and at 6-7 not a perfect NBA fit on the drawing board- but what a player he is. Again- not a Leonard comparison at this point but a target Murphy can look to. I think he is better to stay another year in college and perfect what he has in big minutes here.
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The great news for us is that even if he has a great season I don't think he will get a ton of love from NBA teams so will almost certainly be back next year.
 

bga1 said:
I'm not saying Murphy can be Kawhi Leonard - but if there is a model to shoot for- he's the guy. Leonard was a 25% 3 point shooter in college and at 6-7 not a perfect NBA fit on the drawing board- but what a player he is. Again- not a Leonard comparison at this point but a target Murphy can look to. I think he is better to stay another year in college and perfect what he has in big minutes here.
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Leonard has always been a wing since high school though. Draymond seems like a better comparison.
 


No shot at the NBA. Even if he develops a better 3 pointer. He's a really good college player. Like another really good Gopher Trevor Mbakwe, he will need to go to Europe to ply his wares. A man can make a damn fine living playing professionally overseas though, so he'll earn plenty of money in his pro career.
 

This is why college basketball is so much more interesting than the NBA, at least IMO. There are so many different ways to be successful, both as teams and individual players. The NBA used to be more like this, with guys like Charles Barkley being able to excel with weird body types and unique skill sets, but now everyone just needs to be able to be an outside shooter.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
No shot at the NBA. Even if he develops a better 3 pointer. He's a really good college player. Like another really good Gopher Trevor Mbakwe, he will need to go to Europe to ply his wares. A man can make a damn fine living playing professionally overseas though, so he'll earn plenty of money in his pro career.
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I'd say his ability to finish and score are already exceeding Mbakwe's. Last year's Murph was more similar to the way Mbakwe scored, but he is already showing a more diverse repertoire this year. With basically 2 full seasons left in college, I think it's awfully early to say "No shot at the NBA" - especially when his coach said "he will play in the NBA."
 

WoodburyTim said:
This is why college basketball is so much more interesting than the NBA, at least IMO. There are so many different ways to be successful, both as teams and individual players. The NBA used to be more like this, with guys like Charles Barkley being able to excel with weird body types and unique skill sets, but now everyone just needs to be able to be an outside shooter.
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Do you watch the NBA? There are 100 guys who don't look/seem like they'd be in the NBA but are. Isaiah Thomas is 5'7, Draymond Green is 6'7 and plays PF or C. Giannis is a 7' freak of an athlete. There is a 6'10" starting PG. Anyone can be successful in the NBA, they don't care just about outside shooting. That is a dumb thing to believe.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Do you watch the NBA? There are 100 guys who don't look/seem like they'd be in the NBA but are. Isaiah Thomas is 5'7, Draymond Green is 6'7 and plays PF or C. Giannis is a 7' freak of an athlete. There is a 6'10" starting PG. Anyone can be successful in the NBA, they don't care just about outside shooting. That is a dumb thing to believe.
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always exceptions to the rule
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Do you watch the NBA? There are 100 guys who don't look/seem like they'd be in the NBA but are. Isaiah Thomas is 5'7, Draymond Green is 6'7 and plays PF or C. Giannis is a 7' freak of an athlete. There is a 6'10" starting PG. Anyone can be successful in the NBA, they don't care just about outside shooting. That is a dumb thing to believe.
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Sorry. You seem really smart, I'll believe what you believe.
 


WriterGoph said:
I'd say his ability to finish and score are already exceeding Mbakwe's. Last year's Murph was more similar to the way Mbakwe scored, but he is already showing a more diverse repertoire this year. With basically 2 full seasons left in college, I think it's awfully early to say "No shot at the NBA" - especially when his coach said "he will play in the NBA."
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No shot.
 



Who has the best shot at the nba? Coffey?
 

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