STrib: Murphy's real intrigue lies in what he's not doing -- yet

BleedGopher

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per Amelia:

On Tuesday, the forward went 8-for-17 from the field, leaving a potential of 19 points on the floor. As coach Richard Pitino has pointed out many times, the points Murphy is getting are mostly the result of scrapping, fighting, pure will. His athleticism allows him to get putbacks and dunks that others wouldn't have access to. But his moves to the basket aren’t totally polished yet and he’s missing some easy buckets that way. And while foul trouble has been a lot better lately, it’s slowed his aggressiveness all season. Basically, Murphy is dominating despite not really knowing what he's doing out there.

Assuming he can continue to develop and improve in those areas, the ceiling could be quite high for this Texas native. When he moves past those hurdles, Murphy has the ability to be nearly unstoppable under the hoop.

Pitino agrees.

“I think when he gets really good on the low block, he's going to be a bit of a matchup issue in this conference,” he said after Tuesday’s victory. “He's extremely productive for a freshman. He kind of just makes plays happen. He was showing great leadership today, too, in the huddles. He was really talking, communicating, trying to bring everybody together.”

http://www.startribune.com/murphy-s-real-intrigue-lies-in-what-he-s-not-doing-yet/369988141/

Go Gophers!!
 

He will be fun to watch for the next three years. Pitino is correct in his assessment above. Murphy also rarely uses the backboard. His rebounding alone makes him a starter for his entire career.
 




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