Denver Nuggets: 2017 NBA Draft grades
By Frank Urbina
No. 51 — Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State
With the 51st overall pick, the Nuggets selected former four-year point guard Monte Morris out of Iowa State.
As a senior in 2016-17, the floor general averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on .465/.378/.802 shooting splits. He also had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NCAA last season, at 5.17.
Although his numbers are outstanding, he lacks athleticism, and at 6’3″ with a 6’4″ wingspan, he’s not a great finisher near the basket. Add in the fact he’s already 22 years old, and we can surmise why he fell to the middle of the second round.
Nonetheless, it was a great pick by the Nuggets.
Per NBA Math, Morris ranked No. 7 in offensive points added as a senior (with 170.3), a metric which is broken down right over here. Three of the players who finished ahead of him (Lonzo Ball, Luke Kennard and Justin Jackson) were drafted in the first round.
To get a guy who was that productive in college with one of the last ten picks is a steal. And I’m not the only one who thinks so:
The steal of the second round is Monte Morris. Will be an excellent back up PG for a long time. @CycloneMBB #assistmachine
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) June 23, 2017
While others believe Morris falling that late in the draft was absurd:
Coaches: "Mistakes get you beat"
— Luke Meredith (@LukeyMeredith) June 23, 2017
Monte Morris: "I set the college record for not making mistakes."
NBA: "Yeah but that other kid's wingspan"
At worst, the Nuggets may have landed a top-notch backup point guard, who can score a bit, distribute and, most importantly, take care of the basketball. There’s not much more you could ask for from your floor general.
Grade: A