Zach Lowe features Morris in
his latest:
Zach Lowe wrote:4. The stagnation of Markieff Morris
John Wall's occasional indifference has come to symbolize Washington's sullen listlessness, but on bad nights, Morris works just as well.
After a hot start as sixth man, Morris has reverted to his worst form as the Wiz have lost six of seven. In Phoenix, Morris had the vague outlines of a jack-of-all-trades -- a power forward who could post up, shoot 3s, make plays for others, and switch across all five positions.
Morris hasn't made big strides in any of those areas. When Washington asks Morris to blitz pick-and-rolls, he too often lurches at half-speed:
Teams are plundering the Wiz when Morris shows on the pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. He's a disinterested rebounder, perhaps the main culprit behind Washington being on pace for the worst defensive rebounding rate since 2015. Voracious glass-eaters know they can outwork Morris:
Morris' defensive rebounding rate is 5 percentage points lower than we would expect based on his size and his position upon the release of all shot attempts, the 16th-worst figure among 193 defenders who have been on the floor for at least 500 rebounding chances, per Second Spectrum.
Morris is unplayable at center, which is a problem considering the state of Washington's actual centers. Some bigs never develop into high-volume 3-point shooters. Playing next to two star guards quashed Morris's nascent passing. His regression everywhere else is more disappointing.