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).

2022-2023 Clippers Season Preview: Marcus Morris, Sr.
Kenneth Armstrong

Without their stars and their starting center, the Clippers competed with the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns for most of four quarters before finally falling, 106-89. Read on for this recap of the Clippers closer-for-longer-than-expected loss to the Suns.

Summary

A horrid offense game; Marcus Morris Sr. does what he can; Chris Paul shuts the door; missing Zubac; and more. Here’s what you need to know:

— No one could make a shot.

OK, that’s not true. Cameron Johnson could. He led the winning squad with 24 points. He was the only player to take more than 10 shots and make more than half.

Marcus Morris Sr. could too. He led all scorers with 26 points. More on him later.

It was most everyone else who couldn’t shoot. The Phoenix Suns, the team with the best record in the NBA, made good on just 41% of their field goals and fewer than a third of their three-pointers.

The Clippers made just 6 threes and 36% of their overall shot attempts and still trailed by as little as 3 in the fourth quarter. It was that kind of game.

That the Clippers remained within spitting distance for more than 40 minutes says something about the resilience of the Clippers, but it says more about the Suns’ temporary impotence. Phoenix turned it over just 9 times and heaved up 21 more field goals than the outmatched Clippers. They had chances in every quarter to run away with the game. They just couldn’t make it happen until crunch time.

And unlike the Clippers, the Suns were able to put their two best players on the floor tonight. But Chris Paul scored just 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting. (He also recorded a triple-double; we’ll cover that in a moment.) Devin Booker’s shot was crooked all night. He eked out 11 points on 22 attempts, clanking all 7 of his threes. He never looked comfortable.

Neither did the Clippers for long stretches of this one. After a surprising early lead, they went mute, once going scoreless for 10 minutes of game time. The Suns forgot how to shoot but fully remembered how to defend, even without starting center Deandre Ayton.

Mikal Bridges clamped down on Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe on the perimeter. The Clippers earned just 28 points in the paint, and that was only after a relatively prolific burst in the second half. The Clippers couldn’t get to the cup and rarely reached it from the perimeter. They had few offensive answers.

— Marcus Morris Sr. was one of those answers. In fact, for three quarters, he looked like the only answer. The Clippers’ offense consisted of running into walls before throwing it to Morris for a contested jumper.

Thankfully, Morris delivered, bailing out the Clippers on a number of possessions. He also boosted his game-high in scoring with 7 free throws made on 7 attempts. Without the stalwart Jae Crowder, the Suns struggled with Morris’ physicality. Morris did his part.

— It took a while, but Chris Paul finally restored order. After the Suns squandered countless opportunities to force the Clippers into an early capitulation, Paul locked in for a trademark fourth quarter.

The Point God recorded 5 of his 10 assists in the final frame, circumventing his team’s errant touch by finding opportunistic cutters. He also added 4 rebounds down the stretch, 2 on the offensive end, sealing Clippers’ possessions while extending his own. Paul didn’t submit a wire-to-wire masterwork but a a specific and timely one.

— Sure, we would love to have had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George available for this one, but with both out with long- and medium-term injuries respectively, rueing their absence seems futile.

Ivica Zubac’s COVID-induced absence was the frustrating one. With their starting center healthy and available, the Clippers might actually have reached, and crested, the summit.

First, Zubac could’ve done something about the defensive boards. The Suns pulled down 21 rebounds on the Clippers’ glass. Jalen Smith, starting for the missing Ayton, grabbed 8 of them. When the Suns are missing, you don’t want to give them a chance to shoot again.

Second, he might’ve been a factor on the Suns’ glass. The Clippers needed every offensive tool they could muster. They managed a respectable 8 offensive rebounds, but against a smaller-than-usual Suns squad, it’s easy to think big Zu could’ve had a hearty meal.

–Brandon Boston Jr. may have been the Clippers’ second-most reliable shot creator. He scored 10 in 20 minutes. He finds that midrange jumper almost every time he wants it.

Amir Coffey scored just 8 but his 27 minutes earned illustrate his impact. The Clippers finally unlocked some transition chances as they closed the gap in the early fourth, and it was mostly Coffey finishing them.

Justise Winslow put in good work too. Ignore his empty scoring numbers. He was serviceable as the last line of defense and his playmaking was valuable.

Nic Batum returned tonight and helped steady the reserve unit. The bench’s play was a big reason there were only two real minutes of garbage time. The game was close to being over in both the second and third quarters.

Thanks for reading this game recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Suns. Stay on the lookout for more game coverage and analysis and an episode of TLTJTP soon.

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Clippers vs. Suns Recap: Ice Cold in the Desert
Thomas Wood

Dr. Shap, Lucas Hann, and Mike Jaglin sit down to talk about the Clippers’ pair of 30-point weekend blow out wins against the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. Without Beverley on Friday, Ibaka on Sunday, and Lou Williams in both contests, LA nonetheless routed each opponent.

Check out the podcast here! Be sure to rate and review us five stars on whatever platform you listen to us on, and give us feedback in the comments below!

Podcast: Clippers Blow Out Pacers, Kings
Shapan Debnath

Did you have Nicolas Batum performing competently on your 2020-21 bingo card? With the clouds of his previous lucrative contract dissipated, Batum now finds himself outperforming his new minimum deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, as Batum’s offense has been a welcome addition for the franchise.

Just like every other team in the NBA, the Clippers have suffered a myriad of setbacks in reaching their ceiling early in the season: Marcus Morris, fresh off a 4 year, $64 million deal, is dealing with a knee issue and remains sidelined; Kawhi Leonard is playing with a mask following a mouth laceration; Luke Kennard is still adjusting to the game after not playing since early 2020; Reggie Jackson is still Reggie Jackson.

But just like we all expected, Nicolas Batum has emerged as a sound rotational player, averaging 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 29 minutes per game, filling in as the primary four while Morris heals. More impressive are his shooting splits of 51.6/45.7/93.8, a year removed from an abhorrent 34.6/28.6/90 season.  He’s coming off another strong game against the Phoenix Suns in which he hit 4-7 (57%) from deep, including a dagger three to repel Phoenix’s last push.

Despite the breaches in the rotation, the Clippers have catapulted to a 5-2 record, tied for first in the staunch Western Conference, and Batum’s offense has assisted that start.

Batum’s momentous output through seven games always circles back to his shooting. Last season’s abysmal production from deep in Charlotte rang bells of concern when Los Angeles picked him up. Would his shooting revert to his career average three-point percentage of 35.7? Or was last season a clear indicator the 32-year-old forward was destined for “washed” territory? This blistering start has put those concerns to sleep. Off this baseline out-of-bounds set (BLOB), the Clippers run an elbow stagger for Paul George to curl off of as Batum is situated just outside the initial down screen by Patrick Beverley. Beverley will leak out to the corner, and Batum will split between the screens as Serge Ibaka sets another one for Batum. Jae Crowder is caught ball-watching, allowing for George to stop his drive and find Batum for the open look. Splash.

Here’s another BLOB set later in the game. This time, it’s a wide pindown for Paul George, a play he’s commonly involved in. Mikal Bridges’ defensive prowess cuts off the dribble hand-off, but Devin Booker gets caught in a daze after Ivica Zubac’s down screen, permitting Batum to pop out for a three. Splash. Batum’s three-point resurgence hasn’t sparked just himself, but the entire squad. When Batum is on the floor, the Clippers are hitting their non-corner threes at a difference of +11.2%, ranking in the 92nd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. That number will likely decrease under more minutes, but as the last two plays indicated, Ty Lue can trust Batum in these spots to convert.

Speaking of trust, how about Batum’s dagger mentioned earlier? Ibaka sets the high screen for George, but Deandre Ayton sticks to Ibaka rather than cutting off George’s lane downhill. That forced Devin Booker to collapse into the paint, freeing up the path to pass to an open Batum. Chris Paul cannot rotate in time. Splash. Batum is essentially a new toy dusted off from the top shelf for initiators like George and Leonard. With the abilities of George and Leonard to drive-and-kick, Batum’s offense, theoretically, is perfect. Per NBA.com tracking data, Batum is shooting 50% on catch-and-shoot triples; three-point attempts comprise 58.5% of Batum’s overall attempts.

Here’s Batum in action with George against Portland. LA runs a stagger screen for George, which flows into a George-Ibaka pick-and-roll set. Jusuf Nurkic shows high to prevent George’s downhill lane as CJ McCollum tagged Ibaka’s roll. That opened a window for George to hit Batum in the corner. Splash. Batum is usually on the court with one of George or Leonard in at all times, and we’ve seen the chemistry developing between George and Batum. Per pbpstats, Batum has played 158 of 202 minutes with George on the court. George’s expertise in setting Batum up has led to Batum possessing an eFG% of 63.2 with George versus a 57.1 clip without.

Moving to assists, Batum’s assists per game have steadily dipped since eclipsing at 5.9 a game in 2016-17 with Charlotte. Last season, he averaged 3.0 APG, not a stark difference to the 2.9 he currently averages. But there’s context to that; Batum didn’t play alongside stars like George and Leonard in Charlotte. Assists per game don’t always tell the complete story, either. Per nba.com tracking data, Batum is averaging 4.4 potential assists per game, fourth-most on the team. The typical ball-handling triumvirate of George, Leonard and Lou Williams spearhead that category.Still, Batum’s a ball-moving forward, a contrast to Morris, who often counters that trait. Per Cleaning the Glass, Batum’s usage rate of 11.3% ranks in the 9th percentile among fellow forwards. However, his assist-to-usage ratio is at a beaming 1:16, good for the 98th percentile. Batum’s excelled in this category dating back to his Portland days, but it’s a positive sign for a Clippers team hoping to secure a balanced attack with a variety of players. Batum’s offense has been superbly effective. The eye test definitely supports his per-100-possession offensive rating of 139 and a defensive rating of 113, a +26 differential, which would be a career-high if it sustains. Not only that, but his points per shot attempt mark of 135.6 ranks in the 91st percentile, a perceptible distinction from being in the 10th percentile a season ago, per Cleaning the Glass. While the Clippers wait for Morris to fully heal, Batum, even when he inevitably comes off the bench, is flying under the radar as one of the offseason’s best transactions by any team this season.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Nicolas Batum’s offense has been a welcome addition
Sanjesh Singh