There were some pick-and-pop 3-pointers from straightaway. There were also some mid-range jumpers and some catch the ball in the post, then face up to the basket for short jumpers.

Indiana Pacers forward Troy Murphy was working on those shooting drills after the rest of his teammates already had left the court to shower after Tuesday afternoon’s practice.

When asked about the extra work, Murphy said, “I always get up extra shots after practice. I usually go to the other court where I’m not distracted or bothered.”

From a distance, Murphy comes across as a free-spirited prankster.

It turns out that’s not the case.

“Murph plays the Jersey goofball a lot, but he certainly knows what’s going on, so we give him a hard time,” said Pacers swingman Mike Dunleavy, who has been Murphy’s teammate for seven years. “He knows all the things that are at stake.”

Murphy regained his old form last season when he averaged 14.3 points and a career-high 11.8 rebounds. He’s the only player in NBA history to finish in the top five in rebounding (second) and 3-point percentage (third) in the same season. He also had 48 double-doubles, a franchise record.

Murphy averaged a double-double in three of the first five years of his career.

“He’s always been a terrific rebounder,” Dunleavy said. “He sort of went back to where he was in previous years and just seemed more focused and had it all together, and when he does that he’s a pretty good player.”

Pacers coach Jim O’Brien credits Murphy’s improved defense, which is something he was not known for, the last half of the season as the reason for his ability to stay on the court.

“When you have his offensive skills and you defend at the level that he defended the last four months of the season, you’re always going to be on the court,” O’Brien said.

“And if you’re on the court and you’re talented offensively and on the glass, then there’s a good chance you’re going to average a double-double.”

Murphy likely needs to be at least that good or better this season to end his playoff drought. Murphy, entering his ninth season, is the second-longest tenured active player not to play in a playoff game. Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford is in his 10th season and has yet to make the playoffs.

“We would like Murph to be more of a playmaker from a standpoint of running the offense through him at the elbow, like we do with Roy (Hibbert) and Jeff (Foster),” O’Brien said. “Murph, if you look at his whole career, he has a really strong assist-to-turnover ratio.”

Murphy basically kept his same offseason workout plan during the summer in New York.

He shot at least 400 jump shots a day. He spent a lot of time in the weight room. He did a lot of running and conditioning drills. And he usually finished the night by playing in some pickup games.

The two noticeable changes are that Murphy spent extra time working on his midrange shot and he did the workouts at a more intense pace.

“One thing you’ll see different is that I won’t just shoot 3s when I’m on the perimeter,” Murphy said.

“I put a lot of time shooting in-between shots, so when guys run at me at the 3-point line, I don’t charge the lane and get called for a foul. Hopefully the hard work will pay off this season like it did last season.”