Marcus Morris

Marcus Morris
SF/PF - 6’9, 235lbs - 28 years old - 7 years of experience

The trade of Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris worked out extremely well for the Celtics. They were able to save some money immediately (thus opening up more 2017 cap room, leading to the Hayward signing), got an extra year of team control on a good player, rebalanced their roster, and added a player in Morris who added some things to the team, if not especially consistently.

Morris’s tendency to free-roam on offence was, at times, annoying. That said, his knack for getting in on possessions and saving them with a tough mid-ranger was also an asset. You wouldn’t ever want to draw up Marcus Morris, Bailout Guy, but you’ll take it when it happens, and Morris’s relentless confidence helped stretch the floor for the team, as he enjoyed a career-best season from beyond the arc as well.

Defensively, Morris played tough and physical, and was a key part of the endless switching and infinite length the Celtics wanted to offer on the wings and at the forward positions. His presence allowed for smaller-ball line-ups and five man units, and while he is not the longest or the quickest, being tough and physical can go a long way to offsetting any disadvantages.

It would all have been a lot more savoury if Morris had been more fluid with it. Much as he had a knack for finding the ball offensively, he also had a knack for stopping the thing. No one wanted to see Marcus Morris, Isolation Guy nearly as much as Morris himself. And while he did better at it than it looks like he ever should have done, it’s not the ideal way to leave a mark.

Player Plan: One year and $5.375 million remaining. The financial pressures might mean the Celtics have to make some tough choices among their bench pieces if Kawhi-shaped plans do not come off, and as his team control runs out, Morris might be a good candidate to be moved. But I’d rather have him back at this price than Smart back for $10+ million.

Marcus Morris
SF/PF, 6’9, 235lbs, 27 years old, 6 years of experience

Durable and an occasional isolation scorer, who has improved as a spot-up three point shooter, all the while trying to do too much offensively, especially early in the clock. Morris could be an exceptional role player, playing decent defence on both forward positions while spotting up, cutting and occasionally doing some work off the dribble, if he can just stop trying to do too much. In his defence, someone had to do something offensively. But this doesn’t mean he should so freely stop the ball.

Player Plan: Two years and $10,375,000 remaining, which is very good value for his contribution. He should nonetheless be considered tradeable given his age, limited production and fit.

Second-round picks are the new first-round picks. It is they which are used on reclamation projects (Thomas Robinson, already traded twice in his career, has yet to yield one), and for acquiring decent backups. Memphis acquired the rights to Wroten's replacement, Nick Calathes, from Dallas in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick. Milwaukee acquired a second-round pick as compensation for taking on Luke Ridnour as a part of the Kevin Martin trade. Sacramento acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from Milwaukee in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick and the right to swap 2019 seconds, and at the last deadline, Marcus Morris, a useful player for Houston, yielded only a second-rounder, too.

Pick 13: Phoenix makes what is maybe the second surprising pick of the night when they drafted Markieff Morris, and not Marcus. Despite it being universally agreed and demonstrably true that Marcus has been the better player in their lives to date, Markieff is taken first. And it is likely because he is slightly bigger. Markieff may be the Jason to Marcus's Jarron, the Brook to Marcus's Robin, the Scarlett to Marcus's Hunter. And all because of a one inch height advantage.

(I earlier claimed in their draft snippets that there's a chance Markieff will have the better pro career. Phoenix clearly agrees.)

Markieff takes about 14 minutes to make his way to the stage, stopping for more and more hugs, resisting the ushering of the draft's utility man, the guy whose job it is to give out the hats and get the players to the church on time. Kieff is stoic if fragile, but the same is not true of Marcus, who breaks down crying. Immediately, Heather Cox is dispatched to interrogate him, and asks him to elucidate on the painful reality of being separated from the man he has been inseparable from for the previous 21 years. Marcus responds sombrely with "it's not the end of the world. I'll send him some flowers and some fruit," without a hint of irony. He meant it. The idea of any two NBA players sending each other flowers and fruit would be funny, were it not for how sad Marcus looks. It must be a beautiful thing to have that kind of a bond with another human being. And yet it must be the most heartbreaking thing to have that bond tested, particularly in so public a forum as this.


Pick 14: Things quickly brighten up for Marcus, as he was made the very next pick by Phoenix. The sombre tone surrounding Markieff's selection is replaced with man hugs and chest pounds, Marcus completing a journey through the entire emotional spectrum in a span of less than seven minutes.

What Phoenix intends to do with both Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson is not immediately obvious, but you can never have too much quality. This marks the first occasion that brothers have ever been drafted back to back, let alone twins being drafted back to back - the previous closest that it has come, as Stu Scott points out, were the Grant twins Horace (#10) and Harvey (#12) in 1987.

(Does it not seem as though there's a disproportionate number of identical twins in basketball?)

All draftees thus far have rocked a top pocket handkerchief, because there's nothing wrong with looking the part. The suits so far have been fairly tame affairs - lowlighted by the work of Jan Vesely, who spent a maximum of $4.95 on an ill-fitting unco-ordinated skinny tie number that made him look a bit like Eddie Hitler - but Marcus has the first wardrobe malfunction of the night, brought about by his pocket silk. It sticks so far out of his pocket that it is almost draped over his shoulder like a sweat towel, and looks rather silly. Mark Jones, now concealed bashfully behind a fan, immediately congratulates him on his outfit.

Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris - The Morris twins are listed together because they've always been together, and they always want to be together, even in the NBA. Because of this, they play highly complimentary styles.

Marcus is, and has always been the better player. He is more versatile, the do-everything type, the guy whose style of play somewhat resembles David Lee or an early years Antawn Jamison, the one with the mid range game and the better shot creation skills, who can play inside and out, and who operates in between. Meanwhile, Markieff is the bigger of the two - his size advantage is the only way to physically tell the difference between the two, as they even have matching tattoos - the Raef LaFrentz-type with not-quite-centre size, who finishes around the basket and hits straight-in threes, and otherwise disinclined to leave the paint too much on either end.

It is not out of the realms of possibility that because of this, Markieff will have the better NBA career. But if he was 7 foot tall, it would be a certainty.

[...] This is mainly because of the Morris twins. Quite simply the most facially identical pair of twins that have ever walked the Earth, the Morris's have slightly different games that have become extremely complimentary towards each other. Markieff, slightly bigger, is the better rebounder and post defender with a better trailer three; Marcus, slightly better, does more creating on offense, defends the perimeter better, and has the better mid-range game. Both are good sized, decently athletic shot makers, with high IQ's, good court vision, spin moves, good hands, and versatility on both defense and offense. Both are future NBA players, too. And not just future NBA players like the Collins twins; the Morrises can play.