My sense on Morris is that he is a high-level backup point guard, but you are probably going to be disappointed if you expect more from him.
I don't think he's a long-term solution to our starting point guard issue. I'm not even sure how much of an upgrade he is over Smart's game management abilities.
+1
He fixes the backup PG slot. Not the starting spot. He is a below average starting PG. It is just swapping one set of problems / limitations at starting PG for other problems / limitations.
No offense, fellas… but I think these are lazy blanket assumptions. Morris has been very good as a starter in Denver. And he doesn’t need to be a top 10 PG to be a significant upgrade in Boston, particularly considering no such PGs are available on the market, and we have a SG playing PG.
i looked up morris' stats as a starter. he has started a total of 75 games out of 250 in his career, and 44 of those starts came this season (he started 44 of denver's 45 games).
this season,
morris has averaged 30.1 minutes a game and his stats are:
12.5 points/g
4.2 assists/g
0.7 steals/g
3 rebounds/g
1.1 turn overs/g
35.9% 3 point
46.2% 2 point (8th among pg)
83% FT
this season,
smart has averaged 33.6 minutes a game and his stats are:
11.3 points/g
5.4 assists/g
1.9 steals/g (2nd among pg)
4 rebounds/g
2.1 turn overs/g
30.3% 3 point
39.8% 2 point
79.2% FT
I see morris as topping smart's stats in scoring, turn overs, and 2/3 point shooting. But none of his stats stand out as being extraordinary in the nba.
I see smart as topping morris' stats in steals, rebounds, and assists. FT is basically a toss up.
oh, one other point is size. smart = 6'3" & 220 lbs. morris = 6'2" & 183. so smart may be stronger and able to play against larger opponents better.
so, back to the point of whether morris as a starter is "very good" --- honestly, i am not seeing a "very good" pg from the stats. I see a pretty mundane player. a good FT%, but otherwise nothing really stands out in comparison to other point guards.
maybe there is something i am missing and is not in the stats. i would love to see it.