| Erik Murphy |
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| All Tweets | DraftExpress: Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC, Part 3: http://bit.ly/90wF8M - Marshawn Powell, Erik Murphy, Darius Miller, Vernon Macklin, Sam Muldrow
2010-10-03 09:20:30 |
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| Team:
Florida, Junior
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| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 10"
W: 220 lbs
Bday: 10/26/1990
(21 Years Old)
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Current: PF
NBA: PF
Possible: PF
| Rank 68 in NCAA Juniors
RSCI: 42
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High School: St. Mark's
Hometown: Southborough, MA
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC, Part Three (#11-15)
October 3, 2010
Joseph Treutlein
Boasting very modest numbers in his freshman season due to his inability to earn a major role in Florida's rotation, Erik Murphy is still awhile away from being ready for the NBA, but the flashes of skill he does show are certainly intriguing. Unfortunately for him, with Florida's five leading scorers returning and a strong recruiting class incoming (highlighted by McDonald's All-American Center Patric Young), Murphy will have another uphill struggle battling for minutes this year.
Not a much different player from the one we profiled in high school nearly two years ago, Murphy is a highly fluid and mobile power forward with very good length and a budding skill level on the offensive end, namely in the painted area. He isn't the most explosive athlete in the world, being very much a below the rim player in the halfcourt, but he does a good job using his agility in combination with strong footwork to make a lot of rangy moves around the basket to gain separation.
Murphy currently plays primarily a garbage-type role when he gets into the game, doing the vast majority of his damage operating off cuts to the basket, rolling off high screens, or attacking the offensive glass. He shows very little elevation on all of his shots, but a high basketball IQ and motor combined with great touch allow him to frequently create high-percentage shot opportunities, which he can finish with either his left or right hand.
When he is featured with his back-to-the-basket, Murphy looks very comfortable inside, showing an accurate and rangy right-handed hook shot along with nice flashes of up-and-under moves and a tendency to create a lot of reverse lay-ups going under the rim. Most of his positioning is created by off-ball movement and securing good angles, as he still lacks great lower body strength, not being very capable of backing his man down. To his credit, he's played tougher in college than what we saw in high school, not shying from contact often and playing aggressively, but he will still need to fill out his frame to maximize the effectiveness of that style of play.
Projecting to the NBA, Murphy's finesse and power games both have some question marks, as he doesn't have a great deal of explosiveness to operate powering to the basket, while his finesse game lacks a lot of variety, and he'll definitely need to develop a better fade-away jump-shot to compensate for his lack of elevation.
Murphy also makes very strong contributions on the offensive glass, where he shows an excellent nose for the ball and a high motor, pulling down rebounds both in traffic in the lane and roaming out to the perimeter for long caroms. He also shows flashes of contributions operating out of pick-and-rolls and running the floor in transition, where his mobility and coordination allow him to finish well, but this isn't something that is featured often.
Featured even less is his jump shot, taking only 10 attempts on the year according to Synergy Sports Technology, and not shooting especially well from the free-throw line. His form is solid and this is something he utilized in high school, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him make this a more consistent staple of his game as he establishes a larger role in Florida's rotation.
Murphy's athletic tools lend themselves better to the defensive than offensive end for him, as his high level of mobility helps him greatly defending the perimeter and pick-and-rolls. He shows good fundamentals and awareness in both area to go along with solid lateral quickness, while he also utilizes his length well. In the post, Murphy likewise shows strong fundamentals, but he is very prone to being over-matched by more physical opponents, having problems holding position and not being able to alter shots much with upper body contact, frequently being forced to foul. He isn't much of a threat blocking shots from the weak-side, though to his credit he does do a good job making rotations.
Looking forward, Murphy is still very early in his development and could very well be a completely different player three years down the road, as he does show flashes of potential with both his face-up and perimeter shooting game. Continuing to get stronger physically and establishing a more critical role in Florida's rotation are the most important things for him, but the latter may need to wait another year or two the way things are looking.
 [Read Full Article]
National Prep Showcase--Elite Prospects
November 24, 2008
The second half of the best post player tandem seen at this tournament, Erik Murphy (#39 Scout, #104 Rivals, #24 ESPN) did a nice job acquainting himself with those who may not have been familiar with him in his lone appearance.
6-10, with an underdeveloped frame, but all kinds of agility and fluidity for a big man prospect, Murphy is a fairly athletic player with a good skill level and nice upside to continue to improve in the future. He made some quick moves in the post, pivoting to his left hand and displaying excellent on his jump-hook shot.
Murphy faced up and showed a smooth shooting stroke from beyond the arc too, as well as the ability to take his man off the dribble with either hand a nice first step, which is a big plus from a player projected to play power forward at the collegiate level. He is a very coordinated big man, as he displayed on one particularly impressive play catching a difficult cross-court pass from Nate Lubick in stride and laying it in beautifully, a move that 95% of all high school big men would have surely committed a traveling violation on. He is also a good passer, and seems to generally have a high basketball IQ, showing nice chemistry alongside fellow big man Lubick.
On the downside, Murphy struggled to establish position inside the paint, as he lacks strength and a significant amount of toughness, to the point that many would even call him a soft player due to the way he appears to shy away from contact inside. He struggles with physical play, and isn’t much of a rebounder, which will be a serious issue for him early on in the very tough and athletic SEC, something he must work on seriously. He got pushed around a bit and seemed to lack some intensity on the defensive end, not always hustling quite as hard as you might hope, and displaying average fundamentals. He has a reputation for being somewhat of an underachiever, and its here that that seems to show up the most.
All in all, Murphy is a nice long-term prospect for Florida to develop, as he has a great framework of skills to build off, and has decent physical tools as well. It will be interesting to see how he looks after a few years in college.
[Read Full Article]
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