Player Facts
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 218lbs.
Date of Birth: Sep. 2, 1989
College Experience: Kansas (3 years)
Selections
All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0
Player Grades
Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 8
Positional Size: 8
Positional Wingspan: 7
Paint Scoring: 6
Midrange Scoring: 8
Three-Point Scoring: 8
Dribbling: 6
Passing: 3
Perimeter Defense: 7
Interior Defense: 6
Rebounding: 7
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STRENGTHS
Intro
Marcus Morris Senior is a big wing who can log minutes at all three frontcourt positions. The 6'8" Morris is strong, tough, and is never one to back down from a matchup. He is a solid contributor on both ends of the basketball court with a 6-10 wingspan.
Working in the Midrange
He likes to play off hang dribbles as he isolates in the midrange. Morris can opt to rise out of it or explode into a dribble drive. The Kansas product has a high release point to shoot over top fellow forwards. He can also use some step-backs and make fall-aways from that 8-16-foot range.
He cannot carry an offense, but his iso abilities prove valuable, nonetheless. Morris was in the 71st percentile as an isolation scorer on the Knicks (2019-2020). His 0.96 points per play ended up besting Russell Westbrook, CJ McCollum, Zach LaVine, and Bradley Beal.
Complementary Forward
Marcus' iso capabilities help him take more of a starring role within bench units. With the starters, he's a valuable pick-and-pop and spot-up option with some post ability. He's become very reliable from both corners and above-the-break (>40% in all spots across 2019-2020).
Morris usually uses a dip to initiate his one-motion jump shot. He shot a combined 40.4% on catch-and-shoot three-balls between 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. 2021-2022 had him at a 37.6% conversion rate. The shooting abilities allow Marcus' off-ball game to scale well for when he's in a lesser role on good teams.
Exposing Mismatches
He becomes a good option to throw it down to when he has the clear size advantage. This makes opposing coaches think twice about sticking a smaller, weaker defender on him. Conversely, he's got the burst to blow past lumbering bigs out on the perimeter.
Marcus can spin around into a midrange jumper for instance, on which he made 113 of in 2019-2020. For solely his post-ups, Morris Sr.'s 77 post points that year bested Bam Adebayo, Bojan Bogdanovic, and John Collins.
P-N-R Options + Transition
Marcus Morris can screen for you or even handle it within the pick-and-roll. His ball skills are decent for a four-man. He's gotten much better as a pull-up shooter so that it's now a weapon against drop coverages.
There's a good chance Morris is shooting off the bounce when he initiates a screen-and-roll. Luckily for him, he's an accurate jump shooter across all metrics. He was actually in the 91st percentile as a Knick (2019-2020) for scoring as the pick-and-roll ball-handler.
Marcus can lead the charge for you on the break. It is a luxury that not all teams possess in terms of having a four that can bring it up. Without the ball, Morris can set up shop along the perimeter for a triple try.
Three-Position Defense
Just like he can play the 3/4/5 on offense, Morris can capably defend these positions as well. It's unfair to expect him to contend with 7'0" bruisers but he can do well against the rest of the lot. Marcus usually draws one of the better wing talents as his defensive assignment.
He uses his physicality to stymy sturdier, less skilled players that try to bully their way to the hole. Morris is in his element once they try to back him down in the post. His strength plays here, to the tune of the 98th defensive percentile as a Clipper against post-ups (2019-2020).
The 6'8" forward rarely gets bumped off his spot as a defender. He also defends with his hands up and active but usually under control. Marcus Morris has the know-how to play quality man defense without fouling.
Screen Navigation
He circumvents screens quite well considering his size and bulk. Morris does this through good footwork technique and from a generally high compete level. His pursuits after getting hit by the screen are good as well.
Defensive Grit
It is clear that Morris is a smart and well-coached team defender. He knows where to be regardless of the situation at hand. As the low man, Marcus lives by the "nothing easy" mantra, including some hard fouls that occasionally lead to scuffles.
WEAKNESSES
Offensive Low Points
As a scorer, Morris does quite a few things competently or even above average. However, nothing stands out as an elite facet of his game. This leaves him having to fit in as a tertiary piece at most within a high-functioning offense.
Marcus' shooting efficiency tends to taper off dramatically as his shot attempts increase. The anchors that drag him down are somewhat low paint percentages and an iffy shot selection that contains too many jumpers.
The 6'8" forward has the size and muscle to make an impact scoring on the interior but two-point and three-point jumpers are consistently his go-to.
Playmaking Limits
Generating easy looks for teammates isn't exactly his strong suit. Morris' high-water mark in the assists department came in 2015-2016. That figure was 2.5 dimes/night and it came in just a shade under 36 minutes per game.
Insufficient Rebounding
Rebounding is not a glaring hole for Marcus but there's a little more room to grow. He plays a ton of power forward which demands a 7+ boards/night average. Morris tends to fall a hair (or more) below this for a season.
Defensive Problem Areas
Defensive gripes with Marcus center around some lateral stiffness. On-ball, this lessens his effectiveness against especially gifted athletes. Off-ball, he can't agilely cover ground like even taller big men Jaren Jackson Jr. and Myles Turner can.
He is also not really a defensive playmaker. Marcus Morris doesn't rack up steals or blocks. His interior defense should honestly be better with that 6'8" height and 6'10" reach.
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Players Appearing in This Analysis – Check Out Their Profiles
- Russell Westbrook [PATREON]Opens in a new tab
- CJ McCollumOpens in a new tab
- Zach LaVineOpens in a new tab
- Bradley Beal [PATREON]Opens in a new tab
- Bam Adebayo [Coming Soon]Opens in a new tab
- Bojan BogdanovicOpens in a new tab
- John Collins [PATREON]Opens in a new tab
- Jaren Jackson Jr. [Coming Soon]Opens in a new tab
- Myles TurnerOpens in a new tab
