Darius Morris deserves his own thread. We have to be looking at him as a potential point guard/reserve. He has good size at 6'4 and he's creative with the ball. Explosive passer, improving shooter, can finish through contact. He's not an elite athlete like Payton II, but boy does Morris make Payton II look good. They are a nice pair of young guards. Payton fills the Patrick Beverly role (40+ inch vertical, 3 and D) and Morris fills the Harden-esque drive, dish, create role. I see how they translate to the NBA. What do you think?
I think the only reason he gets as many minutes as he does is because Isaiah Taylor went down with that "mystery injury". Taylor was destroying the competition before that from the pg spot.
I think Morris has earned his playing time over the last month. His passing and ability to create would really add something for the Rockets.
Here's Morris vs. the Austin Spurs on 1-18-17. This is his typical day at the office (22 pts, 10 assists). Yes, he has too many turnovers, but his performance is still pretty notable. I like how he can initiate plays, flash respectable 3 point range, has some size that allows him to finish in the paint, and he sets other people up. I like what he's doing.
Here's January 2017 passing. There's not anyone (outside of Harden) that can create off the dribble like Morris can. This definitely translates.
I just noticed Isaiah Taylor just came back from the aforementioned "mystery injury". It should be interesting to see how Morris' playing time is affected if Taylor gets back into shape. Before he went down, the guy was a top-3 D-League player.
Taylor's minutes (28 & 30) weren't really cutting into Morris' ( 36 & 34) in last two games. I did notice that the Spurs Dejounte Murray torched Taylor for several baskets, even down the stretch. Maybe he is working his way back into things.
He's been out for two months and I think everyone torches everyone in the D-League. Not much defense going on. Wiltjer puts up 20 ppg. Even Onuaku scores points in the D-League.
Here's another triple double for Morris (19/13/10). If Wiltjer was making shots, Morris' stat line would be even more exaggerated. He does turn the ball over too much, but he's showing that he can initiate plays. He doesn't quite have Livingston's size, but it's nice to see Morris finish on the block and on drives. Morris certainly can make all the passes that are needed in our offense.
Morris deserves his props for leading the Vipers to victory over the D-Fenders. His passing makes Wiltjer look good. I certainly think Morris deserves a chance to play in the NBA, especially if all these players need rest.
Welcome back from China. He gives the Vipers the guard they need. He deserves a chance in association.