Elite passing drives Monte Morris’ NBA hopes
By Chris Stone
Ask the average basketball fan who the best point guard in college hoops is and you’ll probably get some collection of the following names: Providence’s Kris Dunn, Maryland’s Melo Trimble, North Carolina’s Marcus Paige, or even Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis. One name that wouldn’t likely be mentioned with as much frequency is Iowa State’s Monte Morris, which is a travesty because he might just be the best pure point guard in the nation.
For the past two seasons, Morris has led the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio. That reached an absurd level in 2014-15, when he posted 4.63 assists to every one turnover despite a significant uptick in usage. He has facilitated one of the country’s top offenses while avoiding the kind of costly mistakes that hurt a basketball team. Draft analysts have taken notice, too. The junior debuted at No. 44 on our first Big Board here at Upside & Motor. At the time, Morris was ranked No. 47 on DraftExpress, but he’s moved up to No. 41 on their most recent iteration.
Morris’ most important attribute is his ability to see the floor and deliver crisp passes to teammates in a way that puts them in position to score, and his passing was on full display in a recent victory over Illinois when he dished out six assists. While he’s not the most explosive athlete, he is still an effective pick-and-roll player because of his ability to knock down jumpers and find open roll men.
Morris can also control the pace of the game with his ability to pass the ball in transition. Iowa State’s offense currently averages 14.5 seconds per possession, a mark that comes in as the 14th fastest in Division I, according to KenPom. A big reason for their success in that regard is because Morris keeps his head up in transition to look for open runners.
Occasionally, Morris’ ability to push the ball in transition results in some spectacular plays as well.
That play is basically the college basketball version of the Dwyane Wade-LeBron James flying death machine.
Spectacular plays or not, Morris has consistently shown himself to be one of the most effective on the ball point guards in college basketball. His ability to distribute alone should give him an opportunity to make an NBA roster, so don’t be surprised if his name keeps creeping up draft boards as the season rolls on.