The 2018-19 season has been marked by improvements across the board for the Denver Nuggets. While team leaders such as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have improved in several areas of their games, role players have stepped up to provide consistent production off the bench.
No player has exemplified the team’s rise through his personal development more than Monte Morris. After appearing in just three games during his rookie season, Morris has taken on a featured role off the bench for Denver, playing 24.1 minutes per game in 78 contests.
Morris has accepted the larger role and thrived in it. Morris has averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 assists per game this season as he has developed and expanded various aspects of his game. Most notably, Morris has become a reliable 3-point shooter, having knocked down 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers this season. It’s no surprise that as a result of his well-rounded offensive game, Morris ranks ninth in the league in offensive rating this season.
“He embodied who we want to be. He embodied our culture. Self-motivated. And every time you gave Monte Morris a challenge, he met it head on.” – Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
However, no part of Morris’ game has impressed more than his playmaking abilities. While Morris doesn’t average high assist numbers due to the structure of Denver’s free-flowing offense and the presence of strong passing big men like Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, Morris thrives as the initiator of the offense as a result of his ability to take care of the ball. Morris has accumulated 286 assists this season while he’s only committed 52 turnovers.
Key stat: 5.50
Morris ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 5.50, which is extremely valuable for a Nuggets team that relies on ball movement and values each possession. When Morris has the ball in his hands, Denver can rest assured that he will make the right pass and take care of the ball.
Morris’ strong playmaking abilities coupled with his strong 3-point shooting allow him to be effective playing both on and off-ball. With Jokic and Plumlee often initiating the offense and the ball constantly moving, having a point guard that can thrive in any role is key for the Nuggets, and Morris fits that need perfectly.
Key performance: Monte drops 20 & 7 vs. Pelicans