New York Knicks leading scorer, Marcus Morris, wants to be with the team for the ‘long term’. Morris is averaging 19.1 points per and is the main reason the Knicks remain relevant in games.
Case-in-point, last night. The Knicks had a head-scratching great first quarter, scoring 45 points. But they were playing against a Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers. As all fans know, a let down is always looming and that’s exactly what happened in the second quarter. Ultimately, the Knicks fell 135-132.
However if it wasn’t for Morris, the Knicks wouldn’t have had a chance to win last night or many games before that.
While at times, Morris presents a Carmelo Anthony gunner like feel, someone has to be that guy. Julius Randle tries to take it upon himself to do that and it makes sense since he’s shooting 45.3% from the field and Morris 43.8%.
For some reason, Morris just feels right taking the big shots with his smooth confident stroke. Randle has been on a tear recently under interim head coach Mike Miller but Morris is able to hit the clutch shots.
The New York Knicks have always needed a player with Morris’ mentality and attitude. He wanted to bring the toughness back to the team and has accomplished that to an extent.
But Morris has been in the conversation to be traded. The Sixers and Clippers were reportedly interested. Morris is 30-years-old and playing the best basketball of his career, points and 3-point percentage wise. His trade value will never be as high as it currently is.
While Morris even said that he “wants to be here long-term” and “help the young guys grow”, if the Knicks can get something good in return, it has to be considered. It’s still all about youth in New York.