What's Your Level of Optimism for Morris's Contributions?

[nickagneta]

FWIW Morris was more of a 10% TRB% and a 6.4 RB/36 player away from Drummond where he posted 7.8% TRB% and 5.1 RB/36 numbers. Also those numbers away from Drummond was while playing as a SF where in Detroit he was a PF.

[Evantime34]

Huge.  Bigger stronger jaw crowder type.  Shoots 3 and rebounds.  Big win for us all around.

He doesn't rebound. Worse than Olynyk.

Whether he CAN rebound at least competently without a vacuum cleaner like Drummond next to him is probably something we're going to have to find out.

The dude is a SF. He actually grabbed more rebounds per 48 at the SF position last season (he was pretty much a wash with the opposition), and was outrebounded 11 to 6.5 per 48 at the PF position. Take this with a grain of salt though, because for 82games.com, "Morris at the 4" generally means that the Pistons were trotting out Henson and Morris together at the wings (so who the PF was in this lineup is anyone's guess).

http://www.82games.com/1617/16DET10.HTM

The fact that he played so much 3 is an indictment of Detroit's depth at that position. He is a stretch 4 that can defend 3's. Any team that plays those type of guys at the 3 in the modern NBA is doing it wrong.

He's going to play the 4 for us. He might not be a good rebounder, but he is another player that will allow the C's to switch ball screens. Switching ball screens is the most effective way to defend the pick and roll in today's game and it is the reason we are adding as many players that can defend multiple positions as possible.

Morris fits our system perfectly and I expect him to be much better for us than he was in Detroit  (similar to Jerebko in that going from playing the 3 in Detroit to playing the 4 in Boston will make things much easier for him)

[fairweatherfan]

Huge.  Bigger stronger jaw crowder type.  Shoots 3 and rebounds.  Big win for us all around.

He doesn't rebound. Worse than Olynyk.

Whether he CAN rebound at least competently without a vacuum cleaner like Drummond next to him is probably something we're going to have to find out.

He averaged 4.6 rebounds last year.  It's something.

He got 5.1 per 36 with a 7.8% TRB%.  Bradley at 7 inches shorter got 6.6 per 36 and 10.1%. He's a poor rebounder for a quasi-big.

Like I said the big x-factor is how much Drummond was affecting that. We'll see. But we became an even worse rebounding team with this move.

That's beyond poor as a rebounder - that's horrendous. Makes Kelly Olynyk look like Kevin Love by comparison...which is why I am assuming they'll use him at SF and that more deals are to come.

He was a couple notches better in Phoenix and Houston, so I didn't want to go too far with it. But it's absolutely fair to call his Detroit rebounding numbers horrendous.

[crimson_stallion]

I disagree, he fits as a big in Brad's system. Rebounding is not something they value as much as the ability to switch on defense and stretch the floor on offense. They have an abundance of of swings, and even if they make another move and bring in a big, I still think Morris plays as a big in Brad's system.

Yeah - don't mind the fact that rebounding had a huge amount to do with us struggling to beat the 8th seed Bulls, almost losing to the Wizards, and then getting straight-out whipped by the Cavs.

But sure, rebounding isn't important.  Lets play good defence instead, and then give the opponent 2-3 second chance opportunities on every possession.  That'll help our defence no end!

/sarcasm

[Jvalin]

He's a pretty good player on an excellent contract. Ainge did pretty well.

More like an average player on an excellent contract.

I'd much rather see us trading AB for a future pick (4 years cost control instead of 2).

I most certainly would not.  We have just drafted picks at #6 (Smart), #3 (Brown) and #3 (Tatum) and still have two potential lottery picks in next years draft.

I have absolutely no desire to add any more future picks - in fact I wish Danny would start offloading some of the ones he's got, because with this many of them projecting to fall in the lottery our future is pretty much set.  I'd much rather work on the 'now'.   

The 'now' is a dead end. No matter what we do, we aren't beating the Warriors.

Not to mention Horford - M. Morris may very well be the worst rebounding duo (PF-C) in the league.

Adrian Wojnarowski‏@wojespn

Assuming Washington matches on Otto Porter sheet, Brooklyn will be a strong contender in the pursuit of Caldwell-Pope, sources tell ESPN.

Ugh, this deal is getting worse and worse.

That move would do nothing to move the needle next year for Brooklyn.

That move would give them a starting backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and KCP. That's a huge upgrade for the Nets compared to Lin and Bogdanovic (their backcourt at the start of the 2016-2017 season).

[Rosco917]

Morris is a patch. He's a stop gap until we get a high grade power forward or center to compete for a ring.

Honestly he'll probably start at PF, he'll rebound better here than Detroit simply because Drummond isn't around. He can stretch the floor too, he adds toughness, and a good contract.

The Celtics play a completely different game than the Pistons, he may excel with better pace.

He's a better scorer than Amir, has better and younger legs, he's about what I expected under the circumstances.

[CelticSooner]

He's a pretty good player on an excellent contract. Ainge did pretty well.

More like an average player on an excellent contract.

I'd much rather see us trading AB for a future pick (4 years cost control instead of 2).

I most certainly would not.  We have just drafted picks at #6 (Smart), #3 (Brown) and #3 (Tatum) and still have two potential lottery picks in next years draft.

I have absolutely no desire to add any more future picks - in fact I wish Danny would start offloading some of the ones he's got, because with this many of them projecting to fall in the lottery our future is pretty much set.  I'd much rather work on the 'now'.   

The 'now' is a dead end. No matter what we do, we aren't beating the Warriors.

Not to mention Horford - M. Morris may very well be the worst rebounding duo (PF-C) in the league.

Adrian Wojnarowski‏@wojespn

Assuming Washington matches on Otto Porter sheet, Brooklyn will be a strong contender in the pursuit of Caldwell-Pope, sources tell ESPN.

Ugh, this deal is getting worse and worse.

That move would do nothing to move the needle next year for Brooklyn.

That move would give them a starting backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and KCP. That's a huge upgrade for the Nets compared to Lin and Bogdanovic (their backcourt at the start of the 2016-2017 season).

Young players don't win overnight.

[Ilikesports17]

More optimism than I should have.

He's not great but one can hope that his rebounding numbers were artificially deflated by the presence of Drummond.

If he can shoot 34% on threes, rebound better than KO and Amir did and defend opposing 4s at an average rate I'll be ecstatic.

[Evantime34]

I disagree, he fits as a big in Brad's system. Rebounding is not something they value as much as the ability to switch on defense and stretch the floor on offense. They have an abundance of of swings, and even if they make another move and bring in a big, I still think Morris plays as a big in Brad's system.

Yeah - don't mind the fact that rebounding had a huge amount to do with us struggling to beat the 8th seed Bulls, almost losing to the Wizards, and then getting straight-out whipped by the Cavs.

But sure, rebounding isn't important.  Lets play good defence instead, and then give the opponent 2-3 second chance opportunities on every possession.  That'll help our defence no end!

/sarcasm

The Warriors, were 29th in defensive rebounding rate and managed to have the 2nd best defense in the league.

Rebounding seems to be a trigger for a lot of people who understand basketball in the more traditional sense rather than how the NBA game is currently played.

The Bulls outrebounded us, but we smashed them when we went small with Horford at the 5. The game is about outscoring the other team, even if it's done in a way that doesn't jibe with what you initially were taught about the game.

[crimson_stallion]

Huge.  Bigger stronger jaw crowder type.  Shoots 3 and rebounds.  Big win for us all around.

He doesn't rebound. Worse than Olynyk.

Whether he CAN rebound at least competently without a vacuum cleaner like Drummond next to him is probably something we're going to have to find out.

He averaged 4.6 rebounds last year.  It's something.

He got 5.1 per 36 with a 7.8% TRB%.  Bradley at 7 inches shorter got 6.6 per 36 and 10.1%. He's a poor rebounder for a quasi-big.

Like I said the big x-factor is how much Drummond was affecting that. We'll see. But we became an even worse rebounding team with this move.

That's beyond poor as a rebounder - that's horrendous. Makes Kelly Olynyk look like Kevin Love by comparison...which is why I am assuming they'll use him at SF and that more deals are to come.

He was a couple notches better in Phoenix and Houston, so I didn't want to go too far with it. But it's absolutely fair to call his Detroit rebounding numbers horrendous.

His career high is 5.1 rebounds per game, which he actually recorded in 2015/16 in Detroit. 

His per-36 numbers did peak a bit (as you said) in Houston where he actually got up to 6.8 Reb Per 36 and a 10/9% rebound rate.  But that's still pretty atrocious for a 6'9" / 235 pound guy who has spent roughly half of his career at the PF spot.
 
For comparison reasons KO has always been hated on here for his rebounding, and his career low is 7.3 rebounds per 36 and a 10.7 rebound rate.  His career highs were 9.4 rebounds per 36 with a rebound rate of 14.8%

[blink]

Morris is a patch. He's a stop gap until we get a high grade power forward or center to compete for a ring.

Honestly he'll probably start at PF, he'll rebound better here than Detroit simply because Drummond isn't around. He can stretch the floor too, he adds toughness, and a good contract.

The Celtics play a completely different game than the Pistons, he may excel with better pace.

He's a better scorer than Amir, has better and younger legs, he's about what I expected under the circumstances.

nevermind.

[Mike Pemulis]

6.8/10...
He averaged 18.25 points against Boston last season. He averages something like - 4 rebounds per game against everyone else...
We actually have a power forward though, which seems great. Hopefully he averages 13.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Takes 8-11 FGAs per game. Gives you 2.5 3pt FGs. 28-31 minutes.
He'd be a good player to matchup against Draymond. Could play some center against Tristan Kardashian. Best case: he prioritizes rebounding, doesn't bother anyone (easier to do on winning team with 2 all stars), and wears down opposing PFs.

[LilRip]

I've never paid any attention to him. I want to be optimistic, since he's a stretch 4 who plays physical. I can see him replacing KO quite well. But the rebounding numbers give me pause.

[Jvalin]

He's a pretty good player on an excellent contract. Ainge did pretty well.

More like an average player on an excellent contract.

I'd much rather see us trading AB for a future pick (4 years cost control instead of 2).

I most certainly would not.  We have just drafted picks at #6 (Smart), #3 (Brown) and #3 (Tatum) and still have two potential lottery picks in next years draft.

I have absolutely no desire to add any more future picks - in fact I wish Danny would start offloading some of the ones he's got, because with this many of them projecting to fall in the lottery our future is pretty much set.  I'd much rather work on the 'now'.   

The 'now' is a dead end. No matter what we do, we aren't beating the Warriors.

Not to mention Horford - M. Morris may very well be the worst rebounding duo (PF-C) in the league.

Adrian Wojnarowski‏@wojespn

Assuming Washington matches on Otto Porter sheet, Brooklyn will be a strong contender in the pursuit of Caldwell-Pope, sources tell ESPN.

Ugh, this deal is getting worse and worse.

That move would do nothing to move the needle next year for Brooklyn.

That move would give them a starting backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and KCP. That's a huge upgrade for the Nets compared to Lin and Bogdanovic (their backcourt at the start of the 2016-2017 season).

Young players don't win overnight.

KCP has 4 full NBA seasons under his belt.

[cousytoheinsohn]

He's likely to play the best ball of his career here.

I'll be really surprised if he doesn't.

It's excruciating seeing Avery go, of course, but this is a solid move.