Perhaps one of the more underappreciated big men in the NBA, Markieff Morris still needs to take a few steps towards the next level if he hopes to be more than a serviceable starter.
For now, Morris is the starting power forward for the Washington Wizards but still has plenty of potential to become one of the better inside-outside threats in the league. Since being traded from a tumultuous situation in Phoenix, Morris has found a home in Washington and worked well within the confines of head coach Scott Brooks’ system. Morris knows he has to improve and says he knows he wants to do so in the nation’s capital.
“I would definitely want to finish my career here,” Morris told NBC Washington’s Chase Hughes. “I love playing here. I love being in the city that I was basically raised in and playing for this organization.”
The Wizards, on the brink of a pivotal offseason, will have a lot of key decisions to make with the future of Markieff Morris being one of them. The 28-year-old Kansas product is set to be a free agent next summer after playing out the final year of his contract for a relatively affordable $8.6 million.
Though the frontcourt has been a weakness of Washington’s in seasons past, Morris has done a nice job providing a versatile offensive threat to complement their star guard duo. However, his numbers overall dropped this season while enjoying career-high efficiency.
Morris knows to perform to the best of his abilities in coming years, he will have to make some alterations to his game. One of those would be adapting to playing more small ball center, something the Wizards did frequently down the stretch last season.
“I think that’s the most important thing I need to play the five,” Morris told Hughes. “One thing I need to do more is play more bully ball because the league has changed. The best teams are switching five. I need to get that part of my game to a T.”
“You look at the better teams in the league, they all switch five. Not too many bigs bully especially at the four position… I’ve got to get to a point where teams are not allowed to switch on me and take advantage of it.”
