David Thorpe: Marcus Morris can play (the three) !

Morris reminds me of Bonzi Wells. A big three with a punishing low post game. Bonzi killed people. If he wasn't such a headcase, he could have been a special player. If Morris has some offense plus can play some defense too, we got a winner.

 

Excellent interview.

Morris is well spoken. Funny, too in an understated way. Meanwhile D Mo is a more theatrical funny guy.

I feel a big trade coming; just too many assets not to score big eventually.

 

I posted this before the draft, but is applicable here. Short video and interview of their workout with coach Thorpe:

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Marcus is the one in the blue shorts. He can play the 3? No kidding.

 

Very interesting skillset comparison at the SF spot right there. Although we all know that Morris' character should never be compared to Bonzi's. Bonzi basically turned into a miniature Charles Barkley at the 3. He had incredible post up skills. And I can see Morris doing the same things there. Big difference in their games however is that Morris won't force it like Bonzi did and turn himself into a low efficiency player. Bonzi forced way too much and would up with way too many turnovers trying to force his game. And the other difference is Morris can simply take it outside and like up a 3-ball at a very decent percentage. Bonzi couldn't do that. Add 3 inches to Bonzi and a jump shot and a winner's attitude and you probably get Morris.

 

I an SOLD!!!

 

I love this kid's confidence. It's not over the top confidence but he is very sure of himself. So I have no doubt he believes he can play the three. I could already see with the video he has better offensive skillls than battier. He knows how to create space and and has a great midrange shot. I was impressed.

SO my only other concern was can he guard threes. A lot of people think they can but as Thorpe said it's a whole different game guarding Lebron James. Okay nobody really can guard Lebron but you have to make him work a little hard. And PPat is not a guy who can really do that. Plus after you keep getting burned by faster threes it's go to take a toll on your overall game.

So to hear Thorpe say this kid can defend threes was the best thing I've heard so far and makes we think we got a kid that might actually turn out to be a better all around player that Derrick Williams. Also I read he thinks he is better than Derrick. A little cocky but if he can back it up we got the steal of the draft!

 

Dream scenario:

At 3, Morris will be too strong and big for most SFs to guards (especially with a solid post game making him an absolute nightmare).

At 4, Morris will be too quick, and with a solid 3 point shot it brings out defenders and opens up the lane.

 

That H don't play. Let's see if DeAndre wants to move back home...

 

A good test to see if Morris can defend wouldn't automatically be LeBron James - that ceiling is a bit high for pretty much everyone.

A good test would be Morris defending Lamar Odom or Shawn Marion; the former is lengthy and quick, while the latter is tricky and quick.

 

Morris seems like he was a steal. No doubt in my mind he will be are starting three for years to come, and already a better player than Patterson(completely overrated on this board).

 

I'm still amazed at how different they move...anyone who's doubting Marcus' handles needs to watch this.

 

Guarding Lebron is the last thing you should be worried about. Guarding Lebron is a team effort, and require help defense. Plus he's not Kevin Martin with his jumpers. So playing a bit off of him is not inconceivable.

Not to mention facing him means being in the finals. I'll take my chances if we get there.

Smaller 3s is true the question here. If opponents play a 3-guard set, what should the counter be? But given Morris' post game, the mismatch should exist both ways. And perhaps we can run some sort of half-zone to minimize the damage. This would be more on coaches and their schemes.

 

I'm still amazed that people think Markieff is a classic 4 and Marcus is a tweener who is in between positions yet they are identical twins. Does that make sense to anyone else?

....I"m also excited by Thorpe's analysis. He is normally pretty good at those types of things - especially with the players he gets extended looks on. The Yi article was pretty accurate too - great athlete, great skills, but a guy who has some mental blocks that effect his play. After the T-mac debacle, I only want basketball players on our team who work hard and want to get better. I would rather have a million lesser players who work hard than one more Tmac level talent.

 

They are fraternal twins and Markieff is slightly taller.

 

They're not identical twins

 

This video really shows how much of a better ball handler he is than Markief. This guy is going to turn into my favorite player! I love his confidence but he also shows humbleness

 

Meh guarding Lebron is the pinnacle. If you read I clearly guarding threes was most important and of course no one can guard Lebron. How well a guy can guard Lebron is just a gage. We only play Lebron twice a year so guarding him is irrelevant most of the year. And of course it is a team effort so is guarding every star. But if your first line of defense is Matador against these stars than it makes team d that much more difficult. My point is Bud is too weak to be starting and with Kevin and Scola on the floor upgrading for a better defending 3 was a major need on this team and I am hopeful Marcus will fill it.

 

This is a draft report of Marcus from realgm. I think his nickname should be M2 (2nd Morris born/taken and the obvious M&M alliteration).

"With great use of strength as a scorer, Marcus Morris should transition to the NBA game rapidly. He is a scorer in the Pacers-era Ron Artest mode and though he has a long ways to go to become a 20 points per game type of guy, he has the capacity to have a longer plateau because he is more of a natural at this point in his development.

For being a player who uses his strength so keenly, Morris is very fluid and quick with the ball. He does a good job of keeping things simple in the halfcourt by not going too fast and this helps him maintain his balance and control with the dribble.

The measured way he takes his ISO and post attempts makes his first step with the ball feel and appear even more quick and explosive.

Morris has good awareness around the bucket and rarely looks flustered on the floor. He is extremely skilled in the post, with an entire arsenal of moves he will utilize. Morris scored more of his points in the post than any other area and even though he will play against far superior individual defenders in the NBA, he will see fewer double teams and zones and it will be interesting to see if he can surpass his collegiate stats in the contrast.

There is a fearlessness to his game, both in terms of his physical play and the absence of restrictive self-doubt.

I admittedly think more highly of him than most because I view him as an ideal small forward. He has a pure basketball skill-set and that is coupled with the aforementioned excellent strength. As important, Morris should be able to comfortably guard either forward position on most nights and that versatility is invaluable in an era when power forwards increasingly rely on a finesse game.

As a shooter, Morris is surprisingly advanced given the ease in which he can impose his will physically upon his opponent. He has a clean follow-through and is very smooth flashing to the ball for a catch-and-shoot.

Morris played at the elbow with great frequency while at Kansas and that area of the floor certainly suits him. He is a dribble or two away from being near the bucket and can also hit that little 15-foot jumper with consistency.

Morris will bring immediate value to his NBA team as a screener. He was frequently successful rolling to the bucket and the pick-and-pop should exponentially improve since his foundation is already strong. Morris has good footwork on the pop, though he does move a little slower than ideal.

As mentioned above, Morris has the capacity to defend two positions, but he is more of a classic small forward. He doesn’t have a ton of length, but he can offset some of that with his size. Morris doesn’t defend the interior as well as you would imagine just be looking at him walk on the floor.

Morris has the potential of being a highly intelligent defender. His heart seems to be there already on the defensive end, but his heart seems to wane at times. You see that on occasion when he closes out on shooters without as much urgency as most coaches would prefer.

But he defends the perimeter well and does a good job against ISO scorers.

While I don’t expect Morris to become anyone’s All-Star or franchise player, players who can score individually and in the post are always held at a premium."



Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/214070#ixzz1QP81sADK"

 

Markieff still isn't tall enough for the PF position. I see him as the tweener and Marcus as a SF.

 

Gotcha - my bad. They look so similar I assumed they were.