Anthony Morrow Is Underrated
by onlxn on Dec 23, 2008 11:42 AM PST
38 comments
Sounds crazy, I know. Every road game we play, our opponents' announcers mention Morrow's 37-point game, and meanwhile he's scoring like nine points on middling shooting. It seems like Morrow was a flash in the pan and he'll never amount to anything.
I'm not entirely convinced. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying the guy's going to be a star. But he plays effective basketball. Even since he went cold, he's helped us. And he's one of the better rookies in the league.
Let's look at his December numbers. These numbers don't include his 37-point and 25-point games... these are all numbers that have come since Morrow, seemingly, turned back into a pumpkin. How has Morrow done in December? Let's look at his numbers prorated to 36 minutes per game. (He's played over 20 minutes a game this month, so this isn't some sort of POB/Kosta-style imaginary inflation.)
Anthony Morrow, December, RATE/36
15.8 points, .438 FG%, .333 3P%, .875 FT%, 5.6 REB, 2.1 AST, 0.7 TO, 1.6 ST
His shooting isn't great -- remember, we're only looking at his colder month -- but it's far from disastrous. It's substantially better than Jack and Crawford's, and the percentages are better than Maggette's, though Maggette's ability to get to the line closes the gap between them. Even in December, Morrow's been an okayish scorer.
But the scoring's not what I want to look at. Look at Morrow's other numbers. They're *good*.
5.6 rebounds is downright elite for a shooting guard. Morrow's played the three some as well, so "elite" would be overstating it, but he's a good rebounder.
2.1 assists? Nothing special. But 0.7 turnovers per game, and a 3:1 assist/turnover ratio? Those numbers are pretty damn special. Morrow almost never makes a mistake out there. He's not a talented passer, but he makes such good decisions that his passing is an asset anyway.
Finally, Morrow has averaged 1.6 steals per 36 minutes in December. On the year, only Watson's stolen at a rate that high. Morrow's savvy shows up on defense, as well. (To round out his stats, he only has one block on the season. That ain't good. On the other hand, that's one more than Marco.)
A final point about Morrow that the stats don't quite relate: he fouls smartly. When Morrow gets whistled, more often than not, it's a spot where a foul makes sense. Whether it's a layup, a breakaway or a mismatch in the spot, Morrow has a good sense of when to foul an opponent.
Morrow's Roland Rating is still the highest, by far, of any Warrior. Is that number skewed by his 37-point/25-point back-to-back? Sure. But he's played in 21 games at this point, and those two games represent less than 20% of his minutes on the season, so it's not like those two games alone could make a bad player look good. The vast majority of his minutes have come during this brutal 3-15 slide... Morrow's Roland Rating has stayed high.
I'm starting to think Anthony Morrow is a pretty good player. He's not going to shoot 60% from three-point land his whole career, but even when he's not shooting great, he helps you. He doesn't put you in a hole by trying to shoot his way out of slumps. He's above-average on the boards... he passes decently. He'll take the ball away from your opponents a good bit, and he'll almost never give it back to them. He's probably not a good defender overall, but he's not a terrible one... after Jack, I think he might be the best non-big defender we have. This is a guy who, even cold, helps you more than he hurts you. And if he can keep his three-point shooting in the 38-40% range (he's still at .451 on the season, tenth in the league, so it's not an outrageous assumption), he's a real asset.
Bright spots are few and far between right now. But Anthony Morrow is one. We have a rookie who's already a pretty decent NBA player. And that's something to be excited about.
This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!
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I don’t know if I’d call him underrated, but he does have a tremendous talent in shooting.
You’ve got to keep in mind that his stats may be a bit inflated if you take into account the minutes he’s played once the game has already been decided for (garbage time).
With a bit of nurturing and as his overall understanding of the game of basket ball comes to him, he should become a pretty useful role player… I’ve noticed he isn’t just a standstill shooter as he has shown he can rebound and hustle… He’s got to work on his dribbling/handling and his ability to drive to the basket. Those skills should hopefully come to him with some more experience. He’ll be a good player in the future.
talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish
by starry night on Dec 23, 2008 11:55 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
His stats may be slightly inflated by usage, but only slightly. Morrow has sat out several games and played starter’s minutes in several games… he’s played normal reserve minutes in most. There haven’t been many games where he only came in once the thing was decided… a couple, but not many.
There are definitely things he can improve on, but it’s nice to see that the current package is fairly effective as it stands, and not just because of shooting. Morrow is already polished in a number of ways that most rookies aren’t. He’s a good guy to have on your bench.
by onlxn on Dec 23, 2008 1:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not saying I don’t agree with you. I’m just saying I personally wouldn’t call him underrated.
talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish
by starry night on Dec 23, 2008 2:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
just a few weeks ago he was ridiculously overrated…..I’m not sure its possible to swing from one extreme to the other in a matter of weeks.
by sam23 on Dec 23, 2008 12:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Depends on who’s doing the rating.
A good number of people around here, you and me included, weren’t buying the “Anthony Morrow, Instant Superstar” craze. But many of those people thought that he was likely to become a useful role player for us, and that that was a pretty sweet haul for an undrafted guy.
He has been a useful role player for us… one of our most useful, in fact, and that’s even with some unusually cold shooting. I think a lot of people have missed that in their disappointment that he’s not Ray Allen. Morrow has continued to play well. I don’t think he’s as talented as, say, Azubuike, but I think he’s just as good of a complementary player as Azubuike, if not better. Morrow focuses on the things he’s good at, and never tries stuff he can’t pull off. I might take Morrow as a defender over Azubuike.
There’s a wide spectrum between “superstar” and “bum”. A lot of folks have flipped from one end to the other with Morrow… as with most players, he’s somewhere in the middle. But he’s closer to “good” than he is to “bad”. I think some enthusiasm is warranted, at this point.
by onlxn on Dec 23, 2008 1:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
yea, I’d agree with all that completely. to be honest I responded only to the title, not your post.
by sam23 on Dec 23, 2008 1:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
He's not Ray Allen yet.
I dont think Rat allen was Ray Allen in his Rookie year either. He averaged 13.5pts 4 rebounds. Oh and he also played 80 games at 30 min average. I am very optimistic about him. He has drive and I believe he will be even better next year. Nice post by the way
by highflya on Dec 23, 2008 11:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
morrow needs to stick to what he's good at
every now and again a play will be run for him he’ll run the baseline come off the screen at the 3 pt line and be open for a 3. but he never takes it. hes a good shooter and if he’s open for a 3 he can’ t be hesitant. this is prbly why nelly isn’t playing him much.
by montamazing on Dec 23, 2008 12:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
doesnt anyone
think that we can get a pretty damn good player when monta comes back if we can ship some of our guards that are overcrowding our backcourt, wright, and maybe maggette. I think that their would be a few teams out their that would want some good young guards and a good young power forward, and would be willing to part with one of their best players.
by duballers23 on Dec 23, 2008 12:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Yep...
Another tool in the box. It seems like he will be a very useful player for us (hopefully) in the future. His biggest problem is the number of 10 Million dollar players ahead of him in the rotation.
I knew he was a good rebounder just from watching him play and taking note of his nightly totals from time to time, but I didn’t realize how consistently good he was.
I think he could be a very valuable player if you have a line-up where he is not expected to create his own shot consistently. He’s a very safe player mind you. He is not going to take many risks out on the court (as evident by his TO stats), but he is not going to create many plays on his own either. He doesn’t handle the ball well enough to create an advantage that way. He seems more hesitant to shoot now that teams are making a point to close out on him, but his shot is so quick he still gets a fair amount of shots off. I’m excited to see how he develops because as you’ve said the guy is already looking like a useful NBA player which is more than you can say for a lot of rookies, even highly drafted ones.
"...OlympicMike is clearly the Barack Obama of GSoM"-Sleepy
by olympicmike on Dec 23, 2008 12:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I think that’s exactly right — his current skill set is that of a role player, in that he’s not likely to create his own shot. To become a quality starter, he’d need to improve his handle, and that’s by no means a sure bet for a guy who’s already in the league.
But as he stands, he’s a good role player, a good 2nd guy off the bench. When you’re 8-21, having a good seventh man is of small solace. But it does seem that we have one.
by onlxn on Dec 23, 2008 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Morrow is good...not great...but good.
he’s a role player. I think with time, he will be great. Yeah, hes here to be a sharp shooter but I like players that can do it all…pass, shoot, drive, assist…ect.
by Butt Secks on Dec 23, 2008 12:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
morrow is a solid role player
i think he will be able to stay in the league at least years but e’s not what everyone thought he was after the firs two starts. but is a good shooter and a good guy to mix in off the bench to hit some open shots.
by Belinelli's the savior on Dec 23, 2008 12:58 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Well
I think it’s too early to call him underrated. He hasn’t played enough games to even be rated anything for me. I’d still consider him unproven as a player.
I agree about him showing a lot of hustle when it comes to rebounding the ball.
That play on Fernandez still sticks out in my mind whenever I think of Morrow’s handles and creating his own shot. He hasn’t crossed up anyone like that since then.
I think he’ll be a good role player if he can consistently knock down 3’s, hustle on the boards, and play solid D.
by disguy on Dec 23, 2008 1:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
he's the next
michael jordan
warriors champz in 09-10
=Gaucho=
by Gaucho! on Dec 23, 2008 1:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
no, he's not underrated
he has a nice shot but he’s pretty bad otherwise.
by HoLdEmUP on Dec 23, 2008 1:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
bad otherwise? how so? his D seems better to me than most of the guys on the team, and he passes ok. He cant create his own shot very well, but I dont think that makes him bad, just a bit limited and more of a role player than anything else.
by sam23 on Dec 23, 2008 1:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
I still believe Morrow can be a very good player given the opportunities.
In the talks of 6th man award with no objections perhaps? Who knows.
I think he is capable of it and explode into a very good player. It’s just a matter of the Basketball Gaughds answering the question of “when?”
Go Warriors toMORROW.
Romes Mac Mojous
by ROMESdavidWOOD37 on Dec 23, 2008 2:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
correction.
*can explode
[ minus “of” ] *the question “when”
of
Damn I’m a fob.
Romes Mac Mojous
by ROMESdavidWOOD37 on Dec 23, 2008 2:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
no way can he win the 6th man of the year award.
not saying he won’t be a good sixth man for the warriors, but the award almost always goes the a player that should be a starter, but for some reason or another he comes of the bench. this year it’s jason terry. every year manu is in the running and in past years leandro barbosa and antwan jameson were award winners. imo, he is not the same calaber of player of any of those guys.
by jnormous on Dec 23, 2008 2:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
he gets the ball passed to him when he's open for a shot then
instead of shooting, he drives a little then stops and picks up his dribble. it’s like watching a high school game. he has a nice shot though and he hustles a bit.
by HoLdEmUP on Dec 23, 2008 3:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i like morrow
-i think, for an undrafted rookie, he is doing a great job. i’m not expecting any more 37 point games out of him any time soon, but he would be helpful to many teams in the league. we all know he can hit 3’s, but i think nellie saw more in him than just a shooter. as much as nellie loves good shooters, he knows what it takes to be an nba player and, imo, he wouldn’t have bothered bring morrow in if he did do other things well. so, i’m not suprised he has done some of the things he’s done because ,unlike most players nowadays, he played four years of college ball. this goes without saying probably, but i think we know he’s not a super star in the d-wade, lebron or kobe mold. i just believe morrow will be a quality nba player who will help the dubs this year, but more importantly, down the road when hopefully the dubs don’t suck so hard.
-blake griffin 2009 to the warriors… that’s what i’m waiting for.
by jnormous on Dec 23, 2008 2:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Don't hold your breath... :-(
Dubs are currently the 5th-worst team in the league. If they can hang onto that slot, they’ll have an 8.8% at landing Griffin. Even if they can drop a slot to #4 (I’m assuming they won’t “catch” OKC, Minnesota, or Washington), they’ll only have a 11.9% shot. And if they rise to #7 or #8, the odds drop to 4.3% and 2.8%, respectively.
Still, the optimist in me says, “this HAS to be the year fate smiles on our wretched team.” The best thing about Griffin, in addition to his being a super-athletic, super-efficient, physically mature, 250-lb. monster/freak/demon in the post and on the glass, is that he’s such a no-brainer #1 pick — a #1 pick even Mullin or Rowell or whoever’s in charge these days couldn’t mess up. There’s no Smith v. Stackhouse v. Wallace v. Garnett or Rose v. Beasley or Okafor v. Howard type-dilemma to trip our confused front office up. Griffin seems like a rich man’s Michael Beasley. Pick him and we’re rock solid upfront for the forseeable future. A Randolph-Wright-Griffin-Biedrins frontcourt? Yes please [/drooling].
But yeah the reality is: a 3-10% shot. Gotta at least try to curb the enthusiasm…
OBAMA AMABO
by Sleepy Freud on Dec 24, 2008 11:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Griffin is the clear number one but I’d be happy with holiday, curry, derozan, thabeet, rubio (if he enters) or maybe Jennings (dont know much at all about him) Is it bad I’m not all that upset that we keep losing? I agree the thunder and TWolves are probably out of reach but a pick in the 3-5 range would be great too, especially if we can move the bad contracts of Maggette and/or Jack in the next couple months.
by sam23 on Dec 24, 2008 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
His “per 36” stats are strikingly similar to Azubuike’s when he was starting out with us. These types of guys are a dime-a-dozen, I’m sorry to say. I think he’ll be a solid contributor for us, but nothing special.
He’s got a weighted, pace-adjusted +/- of +10.23 for us though, so that’s a good thing. But I think that’s just a result of our other guards playing like garbage.
by YaHeard on Dec 23, 2008 3:31 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
If he’s another Azubuike, that’s awesome. Swingmen are admittedly the least valuable types of players, and “dime-a-dozen” isn’t a totally inaccurate term for a guy like Azubuike, but he’s been very useful for us.
There are two reasons to believe Morrow may be better than Azubuike.
1) Plus-minus numbers… as you say, Morrow’s have been excellent. Azubuike’s have always been poor. This could just be an illusion of context, but it also suggests that Morrow may be a better defender than Azubuike… subjectively, that sounds right to me.
2) A more defined role. Three years into his Warriors career, it’s still not clear what role ‘Buike is supposed to play on this team. He does a lot of things sorta well, and that’s sorta cool, but it’s also somewhat problematic — we don’t know what to expect from the guy, or how to deploy him best. With Morrow, it’s clear what his role is: long-distance shooting off the bench. That makes him a more useful weapon.
Kelenna Azubuike is one of the little success stories of the Warriors in this Nellie go-round… he was a guy we picked up out of nowhere, who’s become a useful rotation player for us. That’s cool. CJ Watson is another… that’s really cool. Morrow looks to be a third, and he looks like he may be the best of the bunch. That’s more than cool — that’s downright exciting.
by onlxn on Dec 23, 2008 4:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Azubuike
I think his on-ball defense can be extraordinary at times, but he has problems losing his man though. His biggest flaw is that he’s turned into a bit of a black hole on offense sometimes, like Maggette 2.0. The last couple of games it seems like he’s trying to play differently though
by YaHeard on Dec 23, 2008 5:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Pure shooters will always have a place in this league.
Especially one who can board, pass, defend. He doesn’t have a lot of open opportunities on this team, but maybe on a better team a few years from now- GSW or otherwise- he will get his chance.
by antihero on Dec 23, 2008 4:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
What Morrow does is position himself for rebounds, angles etc he is very sharp when it comes to that...
Watch Morrow move to position, he is rarely out of position when a lane is open to be there, the rest of our team could learn something about rebounding by paying attention to what morrow does, also he holds on to the ball once he gets it.
by warriorbum on Dec 23, 2008 4:17 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
That's what 4 years of college does for your game...
Fundamentals baby… I GOT SKILLZ!
by Mr. Monday Night on Dec 23, 2008 5:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Morrow is slow, but he's got intangibles
Morrow has learned to play in good position because he has very little lateral quickness or pure speed. He’s learned to cope and is almost always in the right position at the right time, both defensively and offensively.
Also, has anyone noticed that he’s the first player off the bench congratulating the other players during a time out? He brings a good spirit to the team and he genuinely seems to be a team player. He’s going to be a good role player for a long time…he’ll eventually be one of those vets who wins a championship or two simply because of his shooting and what he brings off the court, aka, Robert Horry.
Spree for three!!
by peteb24 on Dec 24, 2008 10:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Morrow is slow, but he's got intangibles
I’d say he’s got tangibles? Great mechanics, excellent hoops IQ,Very steady temperment?
I think we could do lot worse than developing Andy, his 37 points came very effortlessly so more are likely to come.
Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me
by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 24, 2008 12:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Not Tony?
No, he’s too skinny to be a tony.
Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me
by Skeptic con Urquell on Dec 25, 2008 10:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
The problem is
He barley never gets any clear shots, and when he does, he usually makes it. Teams are smothering him, making sure they close out on him (something the warriors suck at right now).
by mosdl on Dec 24, 2008 12:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
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