OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect series: Monte Morris

Monte Morris is an intriguing point guard prospect for the OKC Thunder to take a look at. Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports /

A backup point guard is at the top of the OKC Thunder list this offseason; Monte Morris could be the cheap and easy answer.

Monte Morris has been a staple in college basketball the past four seasons. At the start of the draft process Morris was projected a second round pick, fell to the undrafted ranks, and now finds himself back as a projected second round pick. Is he worth the Thunder trading into the second round?

Specifics

Height: 6’3

Weight: 175 Ibs

Position: Point Guard

Age: 22

College: Iowa State

Statline: 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, .3 blocks

Current rankings

Please note that rankings are the most up-to-date at the time of writing this. They are subject to change at any moment and for any reason.

Draft Express: 61st overall prospect

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor: 60th overall prospect

CBS Sports: 41st overall prospect

Skills

Monte Morris is the point guard’s point guard. In his four seasons at Iowa State he lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio three times, ending his college career with a 4.65 ratio. Morris may have the highest basketball IQ of anybody in the draft, a telltale sign for future success of second round guards.

At Iowa State Morris spearheaded an offense similar to those played in the NBA. His primary responsibility was as a pick & roll ball handler, the perfect play for a guard who uses finesse over athleticism.

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The 21-year old uses the same mentality on the defensive end, containing guards by cutting off driving lanes as they open up. Morris is quick with his hands and does a good job of capitalizing when his opponent gets lazy with the ball. Players have to focus at all times on both ends of the floor or else Monte will take advantage.

Weaknesses

Morris’ major weakness is that he doesn’t put the ball in the bucket. Nowadays teams want their point guards to be able to score as well, forcing the defense to prepare for multiple situations. Morris shot nearly 38% from three in his final season, and he improved drastically over the course of his career, but he never showed NBA-range.

Because he isn’t an elite athlete/have elite size Morris doesn’t have a high ceiling. A team that drafts Morris is looking for a backup point guard, not somebody who can eventually compete for a starting spot.

Honors and awards

All Big-12 First Team (2017)

Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2017)

Bob Cousy Award Final 10 (2017)

The fit

More from Thunderous Intentions

For a team that desperately needs a backup point guard, and for a prospect that could feasibly step into a backup role right away, the match between Morris and the Thunder make complete sense. The only problem is Oklahoma City currently is without a second round pick.

With Alex Abrines, Doug McDermott and Enes Kanter currently on the Thunder bench there isn’t a need for a score-first point guard. Morris already understands the concepts of the pick & roll so he’d fit right in with Oklahoma City’s stable of bench scorers. He’s realistically just as good a defender as Semaj Christon so there would be no drop-off on that end of the floor either.

There’s a chance Morris ends up in Oklahoma City, but it’s not likely. With a bevy of guards slotted in Morris’ range (Nigel Williams-Goss, Edmond Sumner, Josh hart, etc.) it’s hard to project which one the Thunder would be interested in, if they are interested in trading into the second round at all. Either way, whoever drafts Morris should have a guard ready to compete for rotational minutes right away.

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