Kansas basketball: Marcus Morris learned defense as Jayhawk
By Stan Unruh
Former Kansas basketball standout Marcus Morris played one of the biggest games of his pro career Sunday. Jayhawk fans know where he learned to play defense.
Kansas basketball fans were happy when the Boston Celtics announced Marcus Morris would start game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The former Jayhawk standout has never played this deep into a basketball season. He made the most of the opportunity in this the biggest game of his career.
His assignment to lead the charge against LeBron James didn’t overwhelm Morris. Bill Self and the Jayhawk coaching staff showed Morris a few secrets on how to play defense. He had a lot to learn about defense when he arrived in Lawrence from Philadelphia in 2008. He worked hard on his game and earned the Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2011.
As a matter of fact, that same work ethic made the difference in helping hold James to just 15 points in Sunday’s blowout win. ESPN reported James scored just 5 points while facing Morris on 2-6 shooting. Just as important, Morris also contributed his first playoff double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Morris and his teammates who shared defensive responsibilities on James set the tone for this series. Will it work moving forward? Jayhawk fans know nobody will out-tough Morris. He also didn’t let a couple of early fouls change the way he went after James.
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Morris also used his study skills acquired at KU to prepare. As Candace Buckner described in the Washington Post, Morris spent a lot of time studying James in advance of Sunday’s exam. It certainly paid off. After all the doubts surrounding his future last summer, it would be fun to watch Marcus make an appearance in the NBA Finals.