Scottie Barnes crashes Trey Murphy III's next face of the NBA pick with Wembanyama reminder
During a recent interview, Trey Murphy III was asked about the passing of the torch in the NBA. When the New Orleans Pelicans forward gave his answer, another rising star chimed in with another name that deserves consideration.
While on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast with JJ Redick, Murphy was asked if his team talks about who the next face of the league is. The young forward admitted it's something his teammates talk about in the locker room. Murphy then opened up about Anthony Edwards emerging as a prime candidate.
"We sat in this seat about a year ago and we talked about Ant," Murphy said. "We literally said what is his ceiling, and I said in my head top five player in the league. And right now it's looking like he's one of those top five players."
After Trey Murphy's remark made its way to social media, Scottie Barnes chimed in with his thoughts. The Toronto Raptors All-Star commented on the post, saying Victor Wembanyama should be brought up as well.
"Wemby too," Barnes commented.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star has been brought up a lot recently in this debate. He is fresh off a 27-point outing in Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals.
Trey Murphy explains why Anthony Edwards could be the next face of the NBA
When it comes to being the next face of the NBA, Trey Murphy feels there is more to it than just being an elite talent on the floor. He cited off-court persona as another major factor.
Aside from Anthony Edwards, Trey Murphy also mentioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a player who could have the torch passed to them. During his conversation with JJ Redick, Murphy brought up how both of these players have strong personalities outside of basketball.
"Personality means everything," Murphy said. "You see that with Ant, he has a big personality and people gravitate to towards that.
"Shai, his personality is a little more stoic and obviously his market plays a little role in that. But his off the court presence is very huge."
The OKC Thunder star has made big strides this season to become one of the next young faces of the league. For starters, he put together an MVP-level season with averages of 30.1 points and 6.2 assists. This production landed him second in the MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic.
Aside from his on-court play, SGA is also growing his presence off the court. He's had countless eyes on him for his acting skills. Gilgeous-Alexander appeared in a hit commercial for AT&T with his teammate Chet Holmgren. It has played endlessly throughout the postseason as the pair jokingly show off their singing skills.