Season Review: Marcus Morris was a Steal

Marcus Morris was a steal for the Detroit Pistons. He wanted more playing time as a member of the Phoenix Suns, and he got that when he became a member of the Detroit Pistons. When he was traded to Detroit many people speculated that Morris would not be a good fit. Detroit had already drafted small forward Stanley Johnson and had traded for Ersan Ilyasova who would be the Detroit Pistons’ starting power forward. There were questions about Morris's character and attitude. He left Phoenix in somewhat of an unprofessional manner. He did not bring that attitude to Detroit.

Marcus Morris averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 35 minutes per game. In the 2014-2015 season with Phoenix, he only averaged 10.4 points per game. He averaged 10 more minutes per game than he ever had before and along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he led the Pistons in minutes played per game. Morris also improved his passing ability, racking up 2 and a half assists per game.

Morris endured a mid-season slump but finished the season on a tear. He shot 36% from the 3-point line last season, and in the second half of the season was a dead-eye from anywhere behind the arc. He shot over 12% better from the free-throw line than he did in the 2014-2015 season, shooting 74% from the charity stripe.

He was the player Detroit relied on mainly in the first half for offense. They would go to him early on in the game, and then have him play along with four bench players.

Morris missed only two games in the regular season. He missed one early on in the season with a back injury, and sat out the last game of the regular season against the Cleveland Cavaliers for rest, as all five of the Detroit Pistons starters did.

He was also a very good defender throughout the entire season. whether he was defending on the perimeter or inside, Morris was a consistently good defender. His combination of length and quickness made him very hard to score against. Add that with his all hustle style of play, and Morris was truly one of the better defenders on the wing in the NBA.

Marcus Morris had a stellar season for Detroit, and prove that he is a starter level player in the NBA. Now he will have to prove that he is the rightful starter over Stanley Johnson, who will be entering his second season in the NBA and was the number eight pick in the 2015 NBA draft. Morris had a good 2015- 2016 NBA season, but now he looks to improve and have an even better 2016-2017 campaign.

Featured image via: Associated Press