Detroit Pistons: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Signing Markieff Morris
Marcus Morris spent two seasons with the Detroit Pistons from 2015-17 and now the club will see if they can get solid results after signing the other Morris twin, Markieff Morris, to a two-year, $6.56 million deal that includes a player option for 2020-21.
Last season was a struggle for Markieff, who battled a lingering neck injury and bounced from the Washington Wizards to the New Orleans Pelicans to the waiver wire and to the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in a career-low 58 games and logging his second-lowest minutes-per-game total at 21.9.
His shot was affected by the injury, as he hit 42.1 percent overall and 33.5 percent on 3.5 3-point attempts per game last season, well down from 48.0 percent and 36.7 percent respectively in 2017-18 with the Wizards.
But Morris has shown he can hit the 3 with some consistency and can provide solid backup minutes to Blake Griffin at the 4 spot, giving the second unit a big who can stretch the floor.
Even with the injury woes, he averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds last season and entering his age-30 season won’t be asked to carry too large a load.
It’s a solid veteran addition, provided he’s over the neck issues.