Could Murphy go pro after this season?

FWIW- right now NBA draft.net has 4 Big Ten players listed in the 2018 first and second rounds:

Jackson and Bridges of MSU
Wagner of Michigan
Edwards of Purdue
 

Who has the best shot at the nba? Coffey?

Without a doubt. He's exactly what the NBA looks for. Length, versatility, he creates a mismatch and he's still got a ton of untapped upside.
 


Now that Lynch is done and maybe Coffey, with Murph getting some press do people care to change their stance on Murph and the NBA?

I think there is a possibility of him saying "screw it" I'll take my chances.
 

Now that Lynch is done and maybe Coffey, with Murph getting some press do people care to change their stance on Murph and the NBA?

I think there is a possibility of him saying "screw it" I'll take my chances.

Murphy still needs to develop a better outside shot. He can be in the NBA but he would be better off having a great off season and putting himself in the running for a Wooden award and a first round pick. He could go in the second round this year but that is rarely a smart move for a Junior.
 


I think a more relevant worry would be for Murphy to graduate and transfer to a top team for a shot at a title. Given all the crap he has put up with as a Gopher, I wouldn't blame him if he went.
 

I think a more relevant worry would be for Murphy to graduate and transfer to a top team for a shot at a title. Given all the crap he has put up with as a Gopher, I wouldn't blame him if he went.

Hopefully he hasn't done a ton of summer school, or this could be an issue for the Gophers.

I don't think NBA teams will worry about him offensively, it's amazing how shots are developed once in the NBA, but if you watch him defensively on the perimeter...that could be his biggest challenge making the jump to the NBA. He probably could be a better defender on the perimeter, long arms and athletic, but watching him defend away from the basket is not pretty at times.
 

Now that Lynch is done and maybe Coffey, with Murph getting some press do people care to change their stance on Murph and the NBA?

I think there is a possibility of him saying "screw it" I'll take my chances.

Wouldn't rule anything out but if he does go after this year it will be as a 2nd round pick or free agent so there would be little to no guaranteed money on the table for him. I will be very surprised if he is not back next year, even with all the things going on in the program right now.
 

I think a more relevant worry would be for Murphy to graduate and transfer to a top team for a shot at a title. Given all the crap he has put up with as a Gopher, I wouldn't blame him if he went.

Given that he never red-shirted and it has never been reported that he is taking an excessive amount of classes, I doubt that this is even an option.
 



Wouldn't rule anything out but if he does go after this year it will be as a 2nd round pick or free agent so there would be little to no guaranteed money on the table for him..

Always this obsession with the NBA... he is considered a top 20 college basketball right now, even if he doesn't fit in the NBA, the guy is going to make a lot of $$$ playing professional basketball.
 

Staying would have some publicity advantages as he would be in NPOY conversations. However if he rates in first round he will leave.

I think he could be a good outside shooter if his volume went up.
 

He's as good as gone now I'd say with all the BS that is going on again with this program. Gophers will likely bomb out the rest of the season, so he will get his and take off. He is having the best season he's ever played and I'm not sure if he can improve much more. Adding an outside shot would obviously help.
 

Always this obsession with the NBA... he is considered a top 20 college basketball right now, even if he doesn't fit in the NBA, the guy is going to make a lot of $$$ playing professional basketball.

True, but I'd bet the NBA is his number one goal and will make his decision based on what he thinks puts him in the best position to make it there.
 



Always this obsession with the NBA... he is considered a top 20 college basketball right now, even if he doesn't fit in the NBA, the guy is going to make a lot of $$$ playing professional basketball.

I agree, but would he leave school early to go play in Europe? The only real question has been about whether or not he would go early. I don't think the NBA will be an option after this season so if he wants to maximize his chances of getting drafted highly he needs to improve some of the weaknesses in his game and come back for another year of college. He is a good enough player that he will have options after college but I don't think a lot of US kids grow up dreaming of making their money playing basketball overseas and are anxious to get started on that dream right away.
 

True, but I'd bet the NBA is his number one goal and will make his decision based on what he thinks puts him in the best position to make it there.

True.

And to clarify I'm not concerned with him going EuroPro after this season, that would be kind of silly. Just saying if he doesn't make it to the NBA, he's no less of a college player.
 

I see both sides of the story here. He is at a “peak” stats wise and on everyone’s radar. If he enters NBA draft and is drafted, he will more than likely be in the farm system. That farm system will more than likely lead him to play outside of US.

If he stays at the U, there’s no way he has a streak like he has going this year. Although he could continue to improve his game and possibly increase draft stock.


"We're going to win the Big Ten championship and we're going to take the Gopher Nation to Pasadena. That's my dream, that's my goal and that's my belief. It will happen here sooner rather than later." -- Tim Brewster
 

Yes, probably...but: probably shouldn't. There are pros...but...I don't have great CONfidence he is ready.
 


I think a more relevant worry would be for Murphy to graduate and transfer to a top team for a shot at a title. Given all the crap he has put up with as a Gopher, I wouldn't blame him if he went.

Not worried about that, even if it is an option for him.
 

Not unless we go to the NIT, win it, and he has a monster MVP NIT tournament. That actually worked for a player who came out of nowhere to become a first rounder about a decade ago, Renaldo Balkman of South Carolina
 

He will get the advice that he is not a first round pick. If he got a 1st round grade he would be smart to take it. He will not get the grade. Who would he guard and he is not a shooter.
 

Been reading for a couple years. I think about every post in that span… first time posting (hence the terrible formatting, so if someone knows how to fix that, pm me). Needed something other than the latest scandal to look at.

First off, if the season ended today, I don’t think Murph would be a first round draft pick, and I don’t think it would be wise for him to go pro. He should put his name in the hat, do the workouts, but come back to school for another year. I was curious about how Murph’s stats comparted with Draymond’s from college.
I started by comparing their college career stats (through Illinois). Bolded the ones I thought were most noteworthy.

Stat Draymond Murphy
G___145______81
GS__66_______70
MP_25______27.8
FG__3.7______4.8
FGA_8________9.6
FG%_0.467___0.497
2P__3.1______4.6
2A__6.3______8.5
2%_0.496__0.538
3P__0.6______0.2
3A__1.7______1.1
3%_0.361__0.182
FT__2.3______3.2
FTA_3.4______4.9
F%_0.687_____0.646
ORB_2_______3.1
DRB_5.6______6.2
TRB_7.6_____9.3
AST_2.9______0.9
STL_1.2______0.8
BLK_0.8______1.1
TOV_1.9______1.9
PF__2.7______3
PTS_10.5___12.9
SOS_9.75____5.28

Obviously one that sticks out is Murph’s poor shooting from behind the arc. But, I would like to argue that his 3-point percentage could increase with another offseason, similar to how to his free throw percentage increased this past offseason from 61.5% last season to 72.8% this year (upon writing this).
That got me thinking about how these two players development from freshman year to their last year in college. Most of these comparisons were not very helpful, other than change in shooting percentages, because their minutes played were so much different, it didn’t seem like a fair comparison. For example, Draymond made over 250% more 2-pointers his senior year than his freshman year, 1.2 per game vs 4.3. I suppose, I could adjust each stat for minutes played. Maybe I still will and post them later.
At the very least, their career numbers are pretty comparable, with exception to 3P%, which I concede is a big part of Draymond’s effectiveness in the NBA as an undersized big-man. To counter that, I think Draymond’s effectiveness is also due to his ability to guard big-men that have him outmatched in size. I think Murph does this pretty well. Not a perfect measure, but his Offensive boards are even better than Draymond’s.
I used the numbers from https://www.basketball-reference.com
 




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