On Marcus Morris, the D-League

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There’s been a lot of chatter of late about Marcus Morris and his relegation to the D-League.  I’m not sure I understand it.

First, there’s the insinuation that because Morris has not yet contributed to the varsity, he’s a certified bust: this is beyond absurd.  Morris is just 1/3 of the way into his rookie season on a team with playoff aspirations.  NBA rookies rarely see significant time; don’t take the exceptional case of Chandler Parsons as the norm.  Both Aaron Brooks and Patrick Patterson saw time in the NBDL before making major contributions to the Rockets.  It’s just standard procedure.  The Rockets want their freshmen to get reps in the minors, playing in controlled conditions, before they are thrown into the fire.  Parsons was a player so polished that there wasn’t much to learn down there anyway.

Next, there’s the charge that the Rockets are somehow mismanaging the Morris situation by leaving him down in the Rio Grande Valley: look, I’d like to see Morris up here as much as the next guy, but with Chase Budinger having rediscovered his shot, there really is little room.

When you’re playing against competition equal to or better than you, especially in games that matter, with playing time at stake, you tend to reinforce your prior habits, relying on your strengths to compensate and stay at bay.  The NBA is no grounds for testing things out.

Making the move from power forward to small forward is no joke.  It takes a lot of adjustment and a lot of skill development.  If Marcus Morris isn’t ready to be an NBA small forward, throwing him out there and asking him to be one would only crush his confidence.  This isn’t the same as letting Hasheem Thabeet or Jordan Hill beat up on the D-Leaguers and try out post moves.  You’re asking a guy to learn a completely new position.

Have you ever tried to work on your left hand?  If you try it in a game that matters, against guys your equal, you probably won’t get the chance and definitely won’t help your team; it could be demoralizing.  But if you play against scrubs, and drive left every time, even though it’s not yet a strength, because they’re not good, you can do it and those repeated reps help you gain confidence.  Then, when you’re ready, you can try it out against real competition and through that prior confidence, it’s already second nature.

Just based on this team’s draft track record, I have high hopes for Marcus Morris and I’m sure we’ll see him soon enough.  In the meantime, let’s all just chill out.