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Phoenix Suns: Assessing The Power Forward Situation

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (right) and P.J. Tucker react on the bench against the Golden State Warriors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (right) and P.J. Tucker react on the bench against the Golden State Warriors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Dec 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) dribbles past Washington Wizards guard Jared Dudley (1) during the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Keef A Chief Concern

Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic have been great this season, but Markieff Morris’ poor play has made Hornacek’s decision to bench him a very easy one to make.

On the season, Keef is averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game while shooting a dismal 38.6 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from three-point range. That’s a far cry from the 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game on .465/.318/.763 shooting splits that he posted last year.

Over the summer, Morris publicly lashed out at the Suns over the Marcus Morris trade and went as far as saying he wouldn’t be in Phoenix by the start of the season. He wound up pulling a complete 180 on Media Day, saying he wanted to be with the Suns, but it felt like it was an attempt to pump up his trade value once more so the two sides could actually part ways.

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    • Morris is locked in on a super team friendly contract worth four years and $32 million, and Suns general manager Ryan McDonough wasn’t going to trade away a valuable deal like that for nothing. The only resolution for both sides was to focus on basketball and hope Morris could boost his trade value back up.

    That hasn’t happened by any stretch of the imagination, and Morris has only played in seven minutes over the Suns’ last five games, including three DNP-CDs. The only game he played in — at Chicago — was a product of Tyson Chandler being out and Alex Len being in foul trouble.

    “We’ve had a couple of games when Markieff’s been out where the ball moved around a little bit differently,” Hornacek said. “We have no real post-up threat we can go to in those situations, but Markieff will get back and it’s a struggle for him right now but we all feel he’s a good player and he’s gonna get it back. Right now Jon and Mirza are just playing better.”

    In the first game that Leuer started (at Detroit), Keef didn’t play due to a knee bruise. Morris has played in two games since then, and both times he came in off the bench. With Leuer and Teletovic spreading the floor and the ball moving far better than it was when the Suns were force-feeding the ball to Keef to try and get him going, Morris has been completely phased out of the rotation.

    Next: An Imminent Trade?

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