The New York Knicks found a proverbial diamond in the rough when they signed Marcus Morris Sr. to fill one of their final roster spots this offseason. They made the tough decision to cut him and rolled with their stud two-way role player in Landry Shamet, but the latter’s recent injury could reopen the door for New York to reunite with Morris Sr.
Knicks: Landry Shamet’s injury could be remedied by Marcus Morris Sr. signing
Shamet went down with a scary right shoulder injury “reaching for a steal on an entry pass during the third quarter” of the Knicks’ 111-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets in preseason on Tuesday. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but in the event that he has to miss ample time in 2024-25, the Knicks could take another shot on Morris Sr. for support in their reserve unit.
Morris Sr. is a deadly shooter from outside who could give the Knicks a dangerous weapon at the end of their bench. The Pennsylvania native did average 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds a game last season, but he did so on a whopping 40.3 percent shooting from downtown, which matches his cumulative average from the 2019-20 season until 2023-24.
He’s only two seasons removed from averaging double figures, which he did in 2021-22 with 11.2 PPG, and three seasons removed from scoring 15.4 PPG for the Los Angeles Clippers.
- Knicks’ backup point guard fighting to stay in the NBA: ‘I don’t want to go back overseas’
- Knicks lose key bench piece to serious shoulder injury
- Knicks’ $6 million investment could be an asset at center
Morris Sr. could boost the Knicks to wins in big games next season
The 13-year veteran even wowed with an unbelievable 47.3 percent clip from deep on 5.2 three-point attempts a night in 2020-21, which mirrored his field goal percentage. He still has those capabilities, quiet as kept, and could be that video game type of sparkplug that the Knicks could unleash to catalyze a win for them in the 2025 NBA playoffs akin to the way Alec Burks did in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Morris Sr. could likely be had on another Exhibit 9 deal, making him a cost-effective veteran option for the team to reinvest in with only six days left before next season commences.
