NBA Notes: Pelicans, Trey Murphy, Cavs, Evan Mobley, Knicks

Pelicans

Guard/forward Trey Murphy III looks very much on the rise, and is generating praise from coach Willie Green, teammates and fans because of it.

“There’s nothing Trey does that shocks me,” Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. said, via Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. “His work ethic this summer, him and Herb were working like dogs. To see him step into this role and excel, I’m not shocked. This is Trey Murphy. You should get used to it.”

Murphy is shooting an eye-popping 68 percent on 3-pointers through the first three games. He is averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as well.

“I love being part of this team because everybody understands it’s a we-score mentality,” Murphy told reporters. “We’re just super proud.”

• Nance also had high praise for rookie guard Dyson Daniels. “Defensively, he’s NBA-ready today, and offensively, he’s got confidence,” Nance said, via Eichenhofer. “Everybody on this roster right now can help us win NBA games, and I don’t know if there are two other teams in the league that can say that.” 
• While there is no official update on power forward Zion Williamson (bruised hip), the injury is not considered serious and he is not expected to miss much more time. Williamson missed the Pelicans’ win over the Mavericks on Tuesday.

Cavaliers

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff intends to get power forward Evan Mobley a little more involved in the offense as the season progresses, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“He’s so skilled and so talented and we want him involved in our offense in a bunch of different ways,” Bickerstaff told reporters, via Fedor. “Evan’s the type of player that if defenses load to him, he’ll pass the ball 100 times in a row. If that makes us win, that’s what he’s gonna do. We have to do a better job diversifying his opportunities. 

“We need to get him more (shots). That’s on us as coaches, that’s on his teammates as well. We have put him in more positions. It’s not the number of shots, it’s the quality of shots that he’s getting. That’s our focus.”

• Point guard Darius Garland (eye) was on the court in practice gear following the team’s morning shootaround, wearing protective goggle, per Danny Cunningham of ESPN Cleveland. Garland will miss at least one more game.
• For more on the Cavs through three games, check out the latest Cavs on the Break podcast, with topics ranging from Mobley to Donovan Mitchell to the team’s defense. Click here for the full pod.

Knicks

• The Knicks have exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward Obi Toppin, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
• Point guard Immanuel Quickley and shooting guard Quentin Grimes also had their options exercised by the Knicks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.