Monte Morris:

[bajaden]

Since the Kings have now interviewed Morris twice, I figured I'd post a little info on him. Morris is a likely 2nd round pick, and that's despite being one of the most successful PG's in college over the last four years. He broke almost every PG record at Iowa St. So why is he ranked so low. Well he's about Dennis Smith's size, but he's a senior, and lacks Smith's athleticism. However he makes up for a lot of it with great BBIQ and a great feel for the game.

Iowa St. ran an NBA style offense relying heavily on the P&R, which Morris runs as well as any PG in the draft.He doesn't have that explosive first step, but he'll get by you with great crossovers, and hesitation moves. He has terrific footwork, and always, and I mean always, seems to be in control. Apparently when asked by the Kings if he thought he was as good a PG as the one's ranked in the top ten, he said yes, I'm better than they are.You have to admire his confidence.

Morris is also a good defender. As stated, he's not blessed with the athleticism of the others, but he always seems to be in the right place defensively contesting a shot. He definitely needs to get stronger, and tweak his outside shot a tad, although he shot a very respectful 37.8% from the three this past season. I think, depending on what the Kings do with their picks at five and ten, Morris is someone they might consider at 34.

 

[ockingsfan]

Thanks for the info Baja!

He looks like a definite possibility if we don't get Fox at 5.

He is projected #52 on draftexpress.com, so he should definitely be there at #34. He could come in and surprise a lot of people. I like that the F.O. is doing their homework!

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Love his passing and decision making, I'd strongly consider him with the 34th pick. Could be a great bench General for the Kings. His interview was great, seems like a really nice kid.

 

[Jimbob]

If we don't land a top considered PG at 5 and 10, I recon with the 34 looking at guys like Jawun Evans and Monte Morris makes sense. I read somewhere, and take it for what its worth, that Vlade is not hell bent for a PG with our top 10 picks.
Who knows, maybe Milos has given Vlade a heads up and plans to join Bogdan in Sacramento this year thus decreasing the PG focus.
I did enjoy Morris interview, confident and very likable.

 

[kingsboi]

Since the Kings have now interviewed Morris twice, I figured I'd post a little info on him. Morris is a likely 2nd round pick, and that's despite being one of the most successful PG's in college over the last four years. He broke almost every PG record at Iowa St. So why is he ranked so low. Well he's about Dennis Smith's size, but he's a senior, and lacks Smith's athleticism. However he makes up for a lot of it with great BBIQ and a great feel for the game.

Iowa St. ran an NBA style offense relying heavily on the P&R, which Morris runs as well as any PG in the draft.He doesn't have that explosive first step, but he'll get by you with great crossovers, and hesitation moves. He has terrific footwork, and always, and I mean always, seems to be in control. Apparently when asked by the Kings if he thought he was as good a PG as the one's ranked in the top ten, he said yes, I'm better than they are.You have to admire his confidence.

Morris is also a good defender. As stated, he's not blessed with the athleticism of the others, but he always seems to be in the right place defensively contesting a shot. He definitely needs to get stronger, and tweak his outside shot a tad, although he shot a very respectful 37.8% from the three this past season. I think, depending on what the Kings do with their picks at five and ten, Morris is someone they might consider at 34.

Reminds me of a second rounder from the last draft, not as built as he is but as soon as you said that, the name Malcolm Brogdon came to my head.

 

[upinsmoke]

If we don't land a top considered PG at 5 and 10, I recon with the 34 looking at guys like Jawun Evans and Monte Morris makes sense. I read somewhere, and take it for what its worth, that Vlade is not hell bent for a PG with our top 10 picks.
Who knows, maybe Milos has given Vlade a heads up and plans to join Bogdan in Sacramento this year thus decreasing the PG focus.
I did enjoy Morris interview, confident and very likable.

Carmichael Dave tweeted that I believe and in theory he's right because many "point guards" are just undersized 2 guards these days anyways. What we need is a lead guard and as of now the position is still available. Can Buddy man that? All I know is I'm excited about our new crop of Kings and what Vlade will do this summer because at least we have options now.

 

[bajaden]

Reminds me of a second rounder from the last draft, not as built as he is but as soon as you said that, the name Malcolm Brogdon came to my head.

Yeah, I really liked Brogdon last year and had him around 25th or 26th on my list. He played really well in summer league, so it wasn't a surprise to me that he played well last season. I was surprised that he was in the running for ROY though. Not because he was playing up to that standard, but because no one else was.

 

[bajaden]

Carmichael Dave tweeted that I believe and in theory he's right because many "point guards" are just undersized 2 guards these days anyways. What we need is a lead guard and as of now the position is still available. Can Buddy man that? All I know is I'm excited about our new crop of Kings and what Vlade will do this summer because at least we have options now.

Well if what their looking for is someone that can bring the ball up, and then play off the ball as their lead guard, then why not draft Donovan Mitchell. He reminds me a lot of Avery Bradley in college. Like Bradley, Mitchell is a terrific defender who can also shoot the ball. 6'3" with a 6'10" wingspan. He shot 35.4% from the three last season. Terrific athlete.

 

[Jimbob]

Well if what their looking for is someone that can bring the ball up, and then play off the ball as their lead guard, then why not draft Donovan Mitchell. He reminds me a lot of Avery Bradley in college. Like Bradley, Mitchell is a terrific defender who can also shoot the ball. 6'3" with a 6'10" wingspan. He shot 35.4% from the three last season. Terrific athlete.

That is a good case for picking him at 10 or even trading down a bit if possible. Get our BPA, SF with the 5th assuming Fox is off the board.

 

[CyKings]

I'm an Iowa State fan (hence the name CyKings). You're right with most of your analysis.

Positives:
Best assist to turnover ratio in college basketball in his career. Takes care of the ball and doesn't make mistakes.
Unselfish, more of a pass first PG.

Negatives:
Defensively isn't the greatest, smaller compared to other PG. Even said in his interview defense wasn't a major focus his first couple years. Prohm emphasized defense more so he's better than he used to be.
Not sure if his scoring will translate to the next level. Decent shooter but could improve. Could have trouble scoring vs. size.

I can see him being a backup PG that comes in to not make mistakes and give some minutes, similar role to Lawson.

He worked out with the Pacers a week ago I believe, not sure where they pick at but Niang, his college teammate, plays for the Pacers so there could be an interest there. Chicago is also an option as his old college coach Hoiberg is the Bulls coach.

He reminds me of a poor man's Chris Paul if you want a playing style comparison.

 

[funkykingston]

Well if what their looking for is someone that can bring the ball up, and then play off the ball as their lead guard, then why not draft Donovan Mitchell. He reminds me a lot of Avery Bradley in college. Like Bradley, Mitchell is a terrific defender who can also shoot the ball. 6'3" with a 6'10" wingspan. He shot 35.4% from the three last season. Terrific athlete.

Or Vlade could desperately want a true PG and he's learned that as a GM smokescreens are an important tool. Hard to say.

I do like Mitchell. I think he has a ways to go as a ball handler to even bring the ball up against pressure but he could be a good combo guard in the Bradley/Smart/Stuckey mold.

 

[ESP47]

Carmichael Dave tweeted that I believe and in theory he's right because many "point guards" are just undersized 2 guards these days anyways. What we need is a lead guard and as of now the position is still available. Can Buddy man that? All I know is I'm excited about our new crop of Kings and what Vlade will do this summer because at least we have options now.

Most of the top teams either have an elite non PG who handles the ball or a good solid PG. Buddy has shown flashes here and there but to put the responsibility on his shoulders will almost surely go wrong. I just don't see why the Kings wouldn't take a PG in the top 10. We need a PG and a SF and there's a handful in the top 10. Would make no sense to do anything else if the players are available there for the taking. We're going to be stuck with mediocre PG play for a few years if we pass on one of them and don't get lucky in next years draft.

 

[miltonap]

Most of the top teams either have an elite non PG who handles the ball or a good solid PG. Buddy has shown flashes here and there but to put the responsibility on his shoulders will almost surely go wrong. I just don't see why the Kings wouldn't take a PG in the top 10. We need a PG and a SF and there's a handful in the top 10. Would make no sense to do anything else if the players are available there for the taking. We're going to be stuck with mediocre PG play for a few years if we pass on one of them and don't get lucky in next years draft.

I mean, you should take BPA. Whether those BPA's will be points or SF we don't know yet

 

[John Galt]

Carmichael Dave tweeted that I believe and in theory he's right because many "point guards" are just undersized 2 guards these days anyways. What we need is a lead guard and as of now the position is still available. Can Buddy man that? All I know is I'm excited about our new crop of Kings and what Vlade will do this summer because at least we have options now.

I'd like to know what the experts here (not saying that facetiously) think of Buddy's handle. I'm not an expert at all - love Buddy and glad we have him... but as a casual fan, he seems a bit of a klutz... seemed to kick away more than one fast break or run hopelessly into traffic beyond his ability.

Maybe this isn't indicative of "bad handle" but I remember as I watched Buddy play last year I thought "that guy can shoot better than anybody we've had since Peja" and "he damn sure ain't no point guard because he's got hands like Mikki Moore".

But... maybe that's based on a small sample. Can he be a combo pg??

 

[funkykingston]

I'd like to know what the experts here (not saying that facetiously) think of Buddy's handle. I'm not an expert at all - love Buddy and glad we have him... but as a casual fan, he seems a bit of a klutz... seemed to kick away more than one fast break or run hopelessly into traffic beyond his ability.

Maybe this isn't indicative of "bad handle" but I remember as I watched Buddy play last year I thought "that guy can shoot better than anybody we've had since Peja" and "he damn sure ain't no point guard because he's got hands like Mikki Moore".

But... maybe that's based on a small sample. Can he be a combo pg??

I think Buddy's handle will develop just because of the amount of work he puts in but I think it's asking too much for him to be a combo guard. His work should probably focus on improving his ballhandling to help him better create his own shot and cut down on turnovers.

 

[bajaden]

I'd like to know what the experts here (not saying that facetiously) think of Buddy's handle. I'm not an expert at all - love Buddy and glad we have him... but as a casual fan, he seems a bit of a klutz... seemed to kick away more than one fast break or run hopelessly into traffic beyond his ability.

Maybe this isn't indicative of "bad handle" but I remember as I watched Buddy play last year I thought "that guy can shoot better than anybody we've had since Peja" and "he damn sure ain't no point guard because he's got hands like Mikki Moore".

But... maybe that's based on a small sample. Can he be a combo pg??

My humble opinion, no. I think Buddy's handle is adequate for the SG position. It could be a bit tighter, but I don't think he's at a huge disadvantage. Buddy's handles only get him in trouble when he tries to go places he shouldn't. His problem is poor judgement at times more than it is bad handles. I don't see him as a combo guard.

 

[Ozymandias]

I love Monte Morris, I'm sure he's worthy of being selected with that #34 pick. He's rock-solid, and he's very polished, he's got tons of tricks up his sleeve. He could fill in for Darren Collison much better than most expect IMO.

His replacement at Iowa St next year 6'2" Canadian scoring PG (excellent floater) Lindell Wigginton is a player to watch moving forward too. Future NBA player IMO.

 

[ESP47]

I don't see him as a combo guard either. I put the Suns game on the other night as background noise. The one where Papa got into it with Bender. Buddy actually had a couple really nice takes and one where he actually shook Ulis out of his shoes. He also had a couple of really bad turnovers when it looked like he had no idea where he was going. The good thing is that we finally have a young SG that can get to the basket if he has to. The bad thing is that you can't be a primary ball handler if you have something near a 50/50 success to turnover rate. I have no doubt that Buddy will improve but I don't see the all natural skills most guys his age already have when it comes to ball control.

 

[206Fan]

Carmichael Dave tweeted that I believe and in theory he's right because many "point guards" are just undersized 2 guards these days anyways. What we need is a lead guard and as of now the position is still available. Can Buddy man that? All I know is I'm excited about our new crop of Kings and what Vlade will do this summer because at least we have options now.

I feel like Carmichael Dave is wrong on this one. When Fox said that the Kings were looking for a PG, Dave kinda went back and retracted his statements saying he "heard" there was a possibility we don't take a PG. I think the Kings will draft a PG. A lead guard is a PG. Most PGs today aren't "undersized 2s".. They just score more than they pass. Big difference in having Buddy Hield as your PG vs. Steph Curry.

I'd say 95% of the SGs in today's game don't have adequate ball handling to run any type of offense.

 

[bajaden]

I feel like Carmichael Dave is wrong on this one. When Fox said that the Kings were looking for a PG, Dave kinda went back and retracted his statements saying he "heard" there was a possibility we don't take a PG. I think the Kings will draft a PG. A lead guard is a PG. Most PGs today aren't "undersized 2s".. They just score more than they pass. Big difference in having Buddy Hield as your PG vs. Steph Curry.

I'd say 95% of the SGs in today's game don't have adequate ball handling to run any type of offense.

I realize that your big on ball handling, and I agree that the better you are, the easier it is to accomplish the things a PG has to do. But the biggest thing that separates true PG's from wanna be's, is the ability to see a play before it happens. Great court vision! While that's something you can get better at with experience, I think it's also a god given ability. Some have it, and some don't, and those that don't will never be able to adequately adjust to the position. True PG's like true centers, are becoming extinct. The NBA is all about passing, player movement and shooting. No one posts up anymore, or at least not many do. Most of the so called PG's in the NBA now are really combo guards for the most part.