Trey Murphy III thinks the Pelicans' depth and versatility make them a threat in the West: "We can put out any lineup and be ready to compete"

If the New Orleans Pelicans want to shock the league next season, they’ll need players like Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey to be stars in their roles.

There is understandable excitement at the prospect of franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson and dynamic new face Jordan Poole carving up defenses this upcoming campaign, but in more ways than one, the Pelicans’ ceiling will depend on the contributions of the ancillary pieces around them.

Versatile swingman Trey Murphy III believes their depth on the wing will give them a chance to compete against anyone in the league.

Trey is confident

The current NBA is all about adaptability, options and versatility. Now more than ever, playoff hopefuls need a roster capable of shifting and adjusting depending on the squad’s health and the matchup in front of them every single night.

Interestingly, they might be more equipped to deal with the ever-present challenges of slowing down the very best in the world than people are currently giving them credit for, mainly due to their depth at the wing position.

When speaking with Basketball Network, Murphy III, for one, believes their perimeter talent is going to help them become a great defensive team.

“It can do a lot, I mean, it gives us flexibility, we can put out anybody on the court and they can guard, shoot the ball, make plays off the dribble. So it helps a lot when we play different teams in the West, the Eastern Conference and the rest of the league. We can put out any lineup and be ready to compete,” he said.

Surviving the West

New Orleans finds itself in the unforgiving Wild West. If they were competing in a less cutthroat Eastern Conference, there might be a higher degree of optimism about their playoff aspirations.

But the West is so brutal that a bad stretch of form or a short string of losses can cause franchises to slide down the standings and out of the playoff picture entirely. Throw in the near-impossible task of slowing down the upper echelon of forwards including LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard in the conference and Murphy’s comments become even more critical.

They do boast the athleticism on their roster, so they have good defensive potential as a long, switchable, highly versatile cluster of wings that can be deployed as an obvious separator in the team’s overall identity.

Time will tell if they have enough top-end offensive talent to make inroads in the West, but heading into the season, Murphy is confident about those suiting up alongside him.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Trey Murphy III thinks the Pelicans’ depth and versatility make them a threat in the West: “We can put out any lineup and be ready to compete”

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