Basic Information
Age: 30
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 218 pounds
Position: Forward
NBA Experience: Ninth season, first with Clippers
Key Stats: Averaging a career-high 17.4 points per game on the season on 41% shooting from three-point range. However, he’s connected on just 28.3% of his attempts from deep across 12 games as a Clipper, while his scoring average has dipped to 9.5 points per game on far lower volume. Averaged nearly 20 points per game in 43 games with the Knicks to begin the year.
Contract Status: Making $15,000,000 this season after signing a one-year deal with the Knicks last summer. He had initially agreed to terms with San Antonio as a free agent, but backed out in order to join New York at the last minute. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Expectations
Marcus Morris got off to an impressive start to the season, averaging a career-high in scoring while connecting on nearly 44% of his looks from downtown. With the Knicks going nowhere fast and his deal set to expire after the season, it didn’t take long for Morris to become one of the top trade targets ahead of February’s deadline.
The Clippers obviously had high expectations when the parted ways with Moe Harkless, Jerome Robinson, and their upcoming first-rounder in the trade for Morris before the deadline.
Of course, his job with the Clippers is different than it was with the Knicks. He was essentially a go-to guy offensively in New York. Here, he’s tasked with being able to defend multiple frontcourt positions while knocking down his open looks. He’ll play most of his minutes at the 3 and 4, but he’ll also likely masquerade as a small-ball 5 against teams like the Rockets that don’t play with much size.
Reality
While he has shown flashes of what he’s capable of contributing in a Clippers uniform, it’s hard not to be discouraged by what we’ve seen so far. Morris is a career 36.7% shooter from 3-point range, so he should enjoy some positive regression in that regard moving forward.
He’s slid right into Harkless’ vacated starting spot while logging about 28 minutes per game in a Clipper uniform thus far. His defense will be more important when he’s sharing the floor with one of Paul George or Kawhi Leonard as opposed to when he’s out there with both of them.
In 124 minutes together across eight games, the Beverley-George-Kawhi-Mook-Zubac lineup has a net rating of plus-19.4, which is obviously phenomenal. That’s with a sub-100 defensive rating, too. Tiny sample, of course, but so far Morris’ lackluster shooting hasn’t been a major detriment.
He brings a certain edge, a lot like Patrick Beverley. The Lakers also picked up his twin, Markieff, via the seedy underbelly of the NBA’s buyout market. So, that battle could be a fun subplot if (when?) these teams meet in the postseason. Morris is likely going to have to be at least average as a marksman if the Clippers are going to realize their full potential come playoff time.
Future With Clippers
Morris is the kind of player that’s in demand these days thanks to his size, defensively versatility, and ability to knock down looks from deep. The upcoming free-agent class also isn’t a great one. First-rounders, even late ones, are premium assets these days. The Clips are chasing a title this season, but it’s reasonable to think they made the trade with plans to keep Morris beyond this season.
Morris can potentially net a deal somewhere in the $15M/year range, with the possibility for more depending on his market. He should receive no shortage of interest, but the Clippers stand a good chance of keeping him in the fold long-term if they so choose.
