Our 2022-2023 player season preview series continues with Clippers’ veteran forward Marcus Morris, Sr.
BASIC INFORMATION
Height: 6’8”
Weight: 218
Position: Small Forward/ Power Forward
Age: 33
Years in NBA: 11
Key Stats: 54 games, 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, on 43.4/36.7/87.2 shooting splits
Contract Status: $16.4M guaranteed for the 2022-2023 season and $17.1M guaranteed for the 2023-2024 season. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
EXPECTATIONS
Let’s get one thing out of the way right away: every media day, it is announced that half of the league put on 10 pounds of muscle, while the other half lost ten pounds. Marcus Morris, Sr. was in the latter group, as it was reported that he cut weight to alleviate pressure on the knee that has bothered him for the last two seasons.
Morris missed 28 games last season, most of which were due to injury. The lost 10 pounds should help but, in theory, Morris should be more healthy this season regardless of weight because he will be asked to do less this season. Not only will be return to playing off of Kawhi and Paul George; he will also be able to offload more defensive and rebounding duties to Robert Covington when they share the floor. That is, Morris should be able to avoid playing small-ball center most of the season, health permitting.
Within the offense, Clippers Nation should reasonably expect the 2020-2021 Morris instead of what we saw last season. Specifically, in 2020-2021, Morris shot a staggering 47.3% from three; last year, however, he was at 36.7%. This drop in efficiency was understandable given the offensive responsibility he had last season. If Morris can return to that 43%+ territory, the Clippers will be in a very good place.
STRENGTHS
It is mentioned above but it is worth repeating: Marcus Morris is a great shooter. Again, though, last year was a bit of a drop off in respect to efficiency.
Here are a few stats that illustrate what Morris can do when playing off of Kawhi and PG (stats from 2020-2021).
- 50% of his shots were from three (5.2 attempts per game)
- 46% were catch-and-shoot (only 35% were pull ups)
- He took zero dribbles on 53%
- 64% of his shots were open or wide open
- He only held the ball for more than six seconds 8% of the time
If you look at the 2021-2022 versions of these stats, they all go in the wrong direction. That is, last season, he took more midrange shots, on several dribbles, and was way less open. The above player profile, though, is perfect for the roster—and Morris should be able to replicate it.
Aside from shooting, there is something to be said about Morris’ potential to be a leader on this team. Now, before I lose you, hear me out: Marcus has been in the league for 11 seasons, has played for 6 franchises, and has played several different roles in the league. His credibility with other players can be a force for good on this roster that is stacked with egos. For example, when Nico Batum filled in for him on the starting roster and played really well, Marcus made a very professional, unselfish decision: instead of taking his starting spot back, he accepted a bench role.
Like his personality or not, Marcus seems to have a strong enough reputation to be a leader within the locker room.
WEAKNESSES
As this blog likes to point out, the Clippers are not good at rebounding. And Marcus Morris deserves a healthy share of the blame. At just 4.4 rebounds last year, he averaged fewer rebounds than Isaiah Hartenstein (who played 11 fewer minutes per game) and Terance Mann (who mostly played guard).
His defense has also been suspect at time. In past seasons, Morris has taken tough assignments—like Luka—and has acquitted himself well enough. If Morris is going to primarily play power forward (and, remember, Morris sees himself more as a small forward), though, his defense may be tested even more.
SUMMARY
In sum, Marcus Morris, Sr.—and Clippers Nation—should be excited for the opportunity to see the 2020-2021 version of this offense. It was fun (for me, at least) to see Morris take the ball into the post and hit tough fadeaway last year, but the Clippers’ offense should make life much easier on him this season. While he might be a little too formed as a player to magically become a better rebounder, the fire-power he can provide from three should be more than enough to make him a net-positive player again this year (last year he was -2.6; the year before, 2.3).
