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Marcus Morris Sr.

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Marcus Morris Sr.
Morris with the Boston Celtics in 2018
Free agent
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (1989-09-02) September 2, 1989 (age 35)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeKansas (2008–2011)
NBA draft2011: 1st round, 14th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2011–2013Houston Rockets
2012→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2013–2015Phoenix Suns
2015–2017Detroit Pistons
2017–2019Boston Celtics
2019–2020New York Knicks
2020–2023Los Angeles Clippers
2023–2024Philadelphia 76ers
2024Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Kansas before being drafted 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft.

Early life

[edit]

Morris was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomasine "Angel" Morris. He has four brothers, Donte, Blake, David and twin Markieff, who also plays in the NBA.[1]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Morris was listed as the No. 10 power forward and the No. 29 player in the nation in 2008.[2]

College career

[edit]
Morris at Kansas

Morris attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in American studies.[1] Morris was named the 2010–11 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.[3] He also was named a second team All-American for his play in the 2010–11 basketball season by both the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and a third team All-America by Fox Sports.[4][5] On March 30, 2011, Morris was named to the ten-member John R. Wooden Award Men's All American team.[6] Morris and his brother signed with a sports agent from Los Angeles, and announced that they would enter the 2011 NBA draft.[7]

Professional career

[edit]

Houston Rockets (2011–2013)

[edit]

Morris was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 14th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, five minutes after his brother Markieff was taken with the 13th pick by the Phoenix Suns. Morris was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League on January 2, 2012.[8] In his first game in the D-League on January 6, 2012, he recorded 33 points and 16 rebounds in a narrow 105–103 loss to the Dakota Wizards.[9] Morris returned to the Rockets on January 16, was reassigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 3, and returned to the Rockets again on February 20.[10]

After an injury to Patrick Patterson, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale named Morris the opening day starter at power forward for the 2012–13 season. When told he would be starting, Morris thought McHale was kidding, since he rarely played his rookie season and was hurt during the preseason.[11] During the course of the season, Morris was the backup power forward to Patterson, and started 17 games while Patterson was injured. His three-point shot was much improved from his rookie season, more than tripling the percentage from 12% to 38%.

Phoenix Suns (2013–2015)

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On February 21, 2013, Morris was traded to the Phoenix Suns, reuniting him with his brother Markieff.[12][13] The next day, Morris played his first game with his brother in the last six minutes of a loss to the Boston Celtics, as he recorded seven points, two steals, and a rebound, despite having no formal training from the Suns before entering the game. This marked the second time that twin brothers played for the same NBA team; Dick and Tom Van Arsdale also played together for the Suns during the 1976–77 season. On March 1, 2013, Morris scored 16 points to help the Suns defeat the Atlanta Hawks 92–87. He made four out of five three-point attempts. Morris went on to start alongside Markieff on March 9, 2013, against his former team, the Rockets, which made the Morris twins the first set of twins to ever start for the same NBA team.[14]

On September 29, 2014, Morris signed a multi-year contract extension with the Suns.[15] In the Suns' 2014–15 season opener on October 29, 2014, he recorded 21 points in the 119–99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[16] On January 7 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Morris received a technical foul and was caught on national TV berating head coach Jeff Hornacek about the situation.[17] It resulted in Morris not playing for the rest of the game.[18] His other antics during his final season with the Suns and afterwards, though, led to AZCentral.com labeling him one of Arizona's biggest sports villains.[19]

On February 6, 2015, Morris recorded his first career double-double with career highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 100–93 victory over the Utah Jazz.[20] Morris' double-double off the bench marked him as just the second player after Brook Lopez in 2014–15 to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game off the bench. The last Suns player to do it was Danny Manning in 1997.[21] On March 22 against the Dallas Mavericks, the Morris twins had double-doubles in the same game for the first time in their professional careers.[22]

Detroit Pistons (2015–2017)

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On July 9, 2015, Morris was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger, in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick.[23] He made his debut for the Pistons on October 27, 2015, in the team's season-opener against the Atlanta Hawks. In 37 minutes of action as a starter, Morris recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 106–94 victory.[24] On April 1, 2016, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 98–89 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[25] The Pistons finished the regular season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44–38 record, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. In their first-round series against the top-seeded eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons were swept 4–0.

On February 3, 2017, Morris scored a career-high 36 points in a 116–108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[26] On February 28, he set a new career high with 37 points in a 120–113 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.[27]

Boston Celtics (2017–2019)

[edit]

On July 7, 2017, Morris was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round draft pick.[28] On March 31, 2018, he scored 25 points in a 110–99 victory over the Toronto Raptors. It was Morris' fourth straight game with at least 20 points, setting a career high.[29]

New York Knicks (2019–2020)

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On July 16, 2019, Morris signed with the New York Knicks.[30] On January 5, 2020, Morris scored a career-high 38 points and tied his career high for field goals made (13) in a 135–132 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.[31]

Los Angeles Clippers (2020–2023)

[edit]

On February 6, 2020, the Knicks traded Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards, sending Maurice Harkless to New York and Jerome Robinson to Washington; the Clippers also acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Wizards in the trade.[32]

Morris debuted for the Clippers on February 9, 2020, scoring 10 points in a 133–92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, he was ejected during Game 6 after committing a flagrant foul on Luka Dončić and was fined $35,000, but was never suspended.[33] In the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, Morris notably had an altercation with Paul Millsap as the Clippers fell in seven games after the Nuggets came back from a 3–1 series deficit. Morris averaged 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds during the playoffs.

On November 25, 2020, Morris re-signed with the Clippers on a 4-year, $64 million contract.[34]

Philadelphia 76ers (2023–2024)

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On November 1, 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Morris, Nicolas Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Robert Covington from the Clippers in exchange for James Harden, P. J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev. As part of the trade, the Clippers dealt a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and cash considerations to the 76ers, while sending a pick swap and cash considerations to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[35]

On February 8, 2024, Morris was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal involving the Indiana Pacers.[36] However, he did not play any games for the Spurs,[37] and was waived on February 29.[38]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2024)

[edit]

On March 18, 2024, Morris signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers,[39] and on March 29, he signed for the rest of the season.[40]

On September 15, 2024, Morris re-signed with the New York Knicks,[41][42] but was waived on September 28.[43]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

[edit]

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Houston 17 0 7.4 .296 .118 .750 .9 .2 .1 .1 2.4
2012–13 Houston 54 17 21.4 .428 .381 .653 4.1 .9 .5 .3 8.6
Phoenix 23 6 16.1 .405 .308 .405 2.5 .7 .8 .2 5.7
2013–14 Phoenix 82 1 22.0 .442 .381 .761 3.9 1.1 .9 .2 9.7
2014–15 Phoenix 81 35 25.2 .434 .358 .628 4.8 1.6 .8 .2 10.4
2015–16 Detroit 80 80 35.7 .434 .362 .749 5.1 2.5 .8 .3 14.1
2016–17 Detroit 79 79 32.5 .418 .331 .784 4.6 2.0 .7 .3 14.0
2017–18 Boston 54 21 26.7 .429 .368 .805 5.4 1.3 .6 .2 13.6
2018–19 Boston 75 53 27.9 .447 .375 .844 6.1 1.5 .6 .3 13.9
2019–20 New York 43 43 32.3 .442 .439 .823 5.4 1.4 .8 .4 19.6
L.A. Clippers 19 19 28.9 .425 .310 .818 4.1 1.4 .7 .7 10.1
2020–21 L.A. Clippers 57 29 26.3 .473 .473 .820 4.1 1.0 .6 .3 13.4
2021–22 L.A. Clippers 54 54 29.0 .434 .367 .872 4.4 2.1 .5 .3 15.4
2022–23 L.A. Clippers 65 65 28.1 .426 .364 .782 4.0 1.8 .6 .3 11.2
2023–24 Philadelphia 37 7 17.2 .439 .400 .861 2.9 .7 .4 .3 6.7
Cleveland 12 0 15.0 .441 .414 .625 2.1 .8 .2 .2 5.8
Career 832 509 26.6 .435 .377 .774 4.4 1.5 .7 .3 12.0

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 L.A. Clippers 2 2 36.8 .452 .333 .750 4.5 3.0 .0 .0 19.5
Career 2 2 36.8 .452 .333 .750 4.5 3.0 .0 .0 19.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 Detroit 4 4 36.0 .468 .389 .870 3.3 2.5 .5 .0 17.8
2018 Boston 19 4 29.6 .368 .417 .712 5.4 1.1 .4 .3 12.4
2019 Boston 9 4 28.3 .519 .450 .742 8.1 1.2 .1 .6 13.7
2020 L.A. Clippers 13 13 29.9 .505 .475 .929 4.8 1.6 .8 .1 11.8
2021 L.A. Clippers 19 18 31.8 .430 .375 .750 4.3 1.5 .5 .5 12.2
2023 L.A. Clippers 3 2 22.8 .345 .167 1.000 4.0 .0 .3 .3 8.7
2024 Cleveland 9 1 15.3 .458 .391 .667 2.8 .3 .4 .0 6.1
Career 76 46 28.4 .433 .406 .771 4.9 1.2 .5 .3 11.8

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Kansas 35 22 18.5 .495 .400 .604 4.7 1.1 1.0 .3 7.4
2009–10 Kansas 36 33 24.7 .570 .375 .660 6.1 1.0 .9 .3 12.8
2010–11 Kansas 38 36 28.3 .570 .342 .688 7.6 1.6 .8 .6 17.2
Career 109 91 24.0 .555 .358 .660 6.2 1.3 .9 .4 12.6

Personal life

[edit]
Morris (left) and his brother Markieff Morris

Morris is seven minutes younger than his identical twin brother, Markieff. He is a fan of his hometown Philadelphia Eagles while Markieff roots for the rival Dallas Cowboys.[44] His nicknames are "Mook" and "Flask Dad".[45] Morris' girlfriend Amber Soulds gave birth to a son, Marcus Jr., on July 20, 2018.[46][47] Beginning with the 2018–19 season, Morris donned "Morris Sr." on the back of his gameday jersey.[48]

The Morris brothers and former teammates Goran and Zoran Dragić all briefly played for the Suns during the fourth quarter of the team's January 2, 2015 112–96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It marked the first time in the NBA's history that two pairs of brothers were on the court for the same team at the same time.[49]

On February 26, 2012, the state of Kansas filed battery charges against Morris and another assailant, Julius K. Harris, for punching an employee of the Cave, a bar and nightclub in Lawrence, Kansas in which they had been watching the final Border War basketball match between Kansas and Missouri. Morris and Harris entered a diversion agreement for the battery charge, with Morris paying a $300 diversion fee, $60 in court fees, and agreeing not to come in contact with the victim or The Cave for one year.[50]

On January 24, 2015, Marcus and Markieff Morris were involved in two aggravated assault cases as five different men (including the twins and former Baltimore Ravens safety Gerald Bowman) allegedly assaulted 36-year-old Eric Hood outside the Nina Mason Pulliam Recreation Center in Phoenix, Arizona.[51][52] Hood mentored the Morris twins from high school until the end of their college careers; the brothers assaulted Hood for "sending an inappropriate text message" to their mother. The case against the Morris brothers was first brought on August 3, 2015;[53] the trial concluded on October 3, 2017, with the twins and Gerald Bowman found not guilty and the accused Julius Kane and Christopher Melendez Jr. confessing their guilt in September 2017. In spite of the resolution the incident was considered a catalyst for the Suns trading Marcus to the Pistons on July 9, 2015[54] and a factor in dealing his brother to the Washington Wizards on February 18, 2016.[55]

On January 11, 2024, Morris was awarded the key to the City of Philadelphia for his contributions on and off the court. The Morris twins helped create the Family Over Everything Foundation, an organization that assists members of under-served communities in Philadelphia and other cities.[56]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b University of Kansas. "Player Bio: Marcus Morris". Kansas Athletics. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "Rivals.com". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  3. ^ Kansas' Marcus Morris named Big 12 Player of the Year The Sporting News, March 7, 2011
  4. ^ Goodman, Jeff (March 7, 2011). "Goodman's 2010–11 All-America teams". Fox Sports. Fox Sports Interactive Media. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  5. ^ J-W Staff (March 29, 2011). "Marcus Morris tapped 2nd-team All-America". Lawrence Journal-World. The World Company. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  6. ^ Bedore, Gary (March 31, 2011). "Kansas basketball signee Naadir Tharpe praised". Lawrence Journal-World. The World Company. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  7. ^ J-W Staff Reports (April 8, 2011). "Morris twins sign with agent, will declare for draft". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  8. ^ "Rockets to send first-round draft pick Marcus Morris to D-League". January 3, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Williams, Clay (January 7, 2012). "Marcus Morris impresses in 1st D-League game". KGBT. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. ^ "Marcus Morris recalled from D-League; Cole Aldrich replaces Nick Collison for a night - 'Hawks in the NBA - KUsports.com". www2.kusports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "Marcus Morris gets starting nod in place of injured Patterson". October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "SUNS ACQUIRE MARCUS MORRIS - THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE PHOENIX SUNS". www.nba.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  13. ^ Houston Rockets trade Marcus Morris to Phoenix Suns
  14. ^ Info, ESPN Stats &. "Morris twins started for Suns tonight...first twins to start for a team in NBA history". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  15. ^ "Suns Sign Marcus and Markieff Morris to Extensions - Phoenix Suns". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  16. ^ "Lakers at Suns". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  17. ^ mike sham (January 7, 2015). "Marcus Morris technical and yelling at Jeff Hornacek (1-7-15)". Retrieved November 17, 2017 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Marcus Morris gets in shouting match with Jeff Hornacek". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  19. ^ Joseph, Andrew (February 12, 2016). "The 10 biggest villains in Arizona sports". AZCentral.com. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  20. ^ "Jazz at Suns". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  21. ^ "Phoenix Suns down Utah Jazz on strength of Marcus Morris' 34 points". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  22. ^ "Phoenix Suns Game Notes" (PDF). NBA.com. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  23. ^ "Detroit Pistons Acquire Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock And Danny Granger From Phoenix". NBA.com. July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  24. ^ "Pistons vs Hawks". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  25. ^ "Mavericks vs Pistons". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  26. ^ "Morris, Leuer lead Pistons over Timberwolves 116-108". ESPN.com. February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  27. ^ "Morris, Pistons outlast Portland 120-113 in OT". ESPN.com. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  28. ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire Marcus Morris". NBA.com. July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  29. ^ "Morris scores 25 as Celtics beat East-leading Raptors 110-99". ESPN.com. March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  30. ^ "New York Knicks Sign Reggie Bullock and Marcus Morris". NBA.com. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  31. ^ "Marcus Morris Compiles Career-High 38 Points In Defeat". rotoballer.com. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  32. ^ "L.A. Clippers Acquire Marcus Morris Sr. in a Three Team Trade". NBA.com. February 6, 2020.
  33. ^ Rob Goldberg (September 2, 2020). "Marcus Morris Fined $35K for 'Recklessly Striking' Luka Doncic; Luka Fined $15K | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "LA Clippers Re-Sign Forward Marcus Morris Sr". NBA.com. November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  35. ^ "Three-Team Deal with LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder Completed". NBA.com. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  36. ^ saspshirley (February 8, 2024). "Spurs Complete Three-Team Deal With Pacers and 76ers". NBA.com. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  37. ^ "Marcus Morris". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  38. ^ "Spurs Waive Marcus Morris Sr". NBA.com. February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Cavaliers Sign Marcus Morris to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  40. ^ "Cavaliers Sign Marcus Morris Sr. for the Remainder of the Season". NBA.com. March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  41. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (September 15, 2024). ".@nyknicks Sign Marcus Morris Sr. to an Exhibit 9 Contract" (Tweet). Retrieved September 16, 2024 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Walker, Mollie (September 15, 2024). "Knicks reunite with Marcus Morris Sr. on Exhibit 9 deal". NYPost.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  43. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (September 28, 2024). "Knicks waive Marcus Morris Sr. and Chuma Okeke" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ "Q&A with Marcus Morris". THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE HOUSTON ROCKETS. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  45. ^ "Morris Twins Get Fan-Decided Tattoos". NBA.com. September 16, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  46. ^ Vertsberger, David (January 31, 2019). "FOR NBA TWINS MARCUS AND MARKIEFF MORRIS, IT'S FAMILY OVER EVERYTHING WITH THEIR FOUNDATION". Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  47. ^ Butler, Alex (July 20, 2018). "Celtics' Marcus Morris welcomes newborn son, predicts he'll make the Hall of Fame". upi.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  48. ^ Marcus Morris has Sr. moment … on jersey and in life
  49. ^ "76ers at Suns". NBA.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  50. ^ "Ex-KU basketball player Marcus Morris enters diversion agreement for battery charge". KUsports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  51. ^ "Suns' Morris twins charged with felony assault". April 21, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  52. ^ "Opening statements begin Monday for ex-Suns players' in assault case". Az Central. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  53. ^ "Morris assault case could extend to late in season". August 3, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  54. ^ "Markieff Morris reacts to Suns trade of Marcus Morris". Az Central. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  55. ^ "Wizards get Markieff Morris from Suns at deadline". February 18, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  56. ^ Lynch, Cherise (January 12, 2024). "Sixers' Marcus Morris Sr. tearfully receives key to the City of Philadelphia". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
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