Are players like Monte Morris a dying breed in today’s NBA?
By J.Z. Mazlish
Monte Morris is a really good college player, who could likely play in the NBA today. Since his sophomore year at Iowa State, he’s been an all-conference level player, and he comes into his senior season as one of the best point guards in the country.
Morris is the consummate floor general. He’s a great passer who is able to find shooters and finishers around the basket from all types of angles. Though he is an extraordinary passer, his greatest skill is his decision making ability. He plays an uber-efficient brand of basketball due to his IQ and heady play.
Morris’ intelligence shows up most prominently in his assist to turnover ratio. He’s posted a rate of over 4:1 every season so far, simply stellar numbers. The pick-and-roll is where Morris really showcases his overall talent. He plays with fantastic pace and a bounce to his step that allows him to dictate the action as he snakes around the court. With a career true shooting percentage of 57.2 percent as an undersized guard, the prudence with which he passes translates to his shot-making. He’s not a high-volume shooter or scorer, as his career high 18.4 percent usage rate can attest, but when he does choose to put the ball up it is likely because he has created a good look.
A career 38.3 percent shooter from three, Morris is capable of punishing defenses that go under screens, but he’s a low-volume threat who only looks to shoot when given adequate time and space. He manages to finish effectively inside the arc despite being small and lacking burst due to a killer mid-range game, and a variety of crafty finishes and floaters in the lane.
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Morris isn’t a sieve on the defensive end either. He’s undersized and lacks strength, but he’s got quick feet and the type of off-ball instincts to makes some plays. He’s a complete player without any drastic holes in his game, and one real plus in his ability to take care of the ball. So how come Morris sits all the way down at no. 31 in DraftExpress’ pre-season mock?
Simply put, the concept of the “floor general” is fading fast from the modern NBA, and the scary thing is, it might be justified. In past eras, the primary responsibilities for a large majority of NBA backup point guards, and some team’s starters, was just making the offense flow. In a more post-play heavy and isolation-play era of basketball, having a point guard who could direct traffic,and make an entry pass without turning the ball over was imperative. Monte Morris would’ve excelled in that style, but now his place in the NBA is a bit more tenuous.
If you look around the league, there are three distinct archetypes of useful role-playing guards — 3-point marksman, defensive specialists, or high-volume creators. Three-point marksman are guys like Patty Mills. They might not have had a role in the NBA of year’s past, but today they can provide huge value to a team with their ability to stretch the floor. Morris hasn’t shown any signs of being the type of shooter who could provide value in this role. Matthew Dellavedova and Shaun Livingston are examples of defensive specialists. Most are larger with positional versatility like Livingston, but while Morris is an adequate defender his small frame will almost certainly relegate him to being a below-average one at the NBA-level.
Where Morris has the best chance of finding his niche would be to somehow transform into a high-volume creator. Most creating backup point guards are more dynamic and athletic with the ball; think Devin Harris, Rodney Stuckey, or Ramon Sessions types. Morris isn’t as big or athletic as these guys, but this year at Iowa State without Georges Niang around he will have the chance to adopt a larger creation role. Morris has played so efficiently throughout his career that there is some hope he could create even more for himself and his teammates out of pick-and-roll, without sacrificing too much efficiency.
Looking at recent players in Morris’ mold does not paint a pretty picture. Kendall Marshall, Tyler Ennis, and Tyus Jones were all exceptional floor generals at the NCAA level, even better than Morris, and while the book is far from written on Jones’ career, early returns on all three aren’t promising. A number of NBA point guards have size and athleticism, so if you’re not providing extra value as a defender, creator, or shooter it’s hard to be a positive contributor. Morris will be outmatched physically every night, and simply being the smarter player isn’t always enough.
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Players like Marshall and Ennis certainly seemed like solid NBA prospects. Monte Morris is abstractly “good” enough to be an NBA player, it’s about finding the right fit. If he doesn’t end up carving out an NBA role it will be just another data point in favor of the extinction of the floor general.