Anthony Morrow's Emergence a Bright Spot for Oklahoma City Thunder
The return of shooting guard Anthony Morrow has been one of the few highlights in what has been a rough year for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morrow sprained his MCL in October and missed the first five games of the season. Since making his Thunder debut on Nov. 11, he is averaging 12 points per game. He's also shooting 40.7 percent from the field, including 40 percent from behind the arc.
With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook out, the Thunder offense has sputtered. It is 29th in the NBA in scoring, averaging a flimsy 88.8 points per game. Guys like Morrow, Serge Ibaka (15 points per game) and Reggie Jackson (team-leading 20.2 points) have been the main components keeping the team competitive.
The lack of able bodies has allowed Morrow to be featured more, and he's provided a spark off the bench. However, even when the team returns to full strength, Morrow's knack for catching fire quicker than Katniss Everdeen will still come in handy, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
"Anthony Morrow won’t be asked to run an offense, won’t lead this team in minutes off the bench, may not even get a ton of playing time on nights when his shot is off. He’s not heavily relied upon. But when he gets hot, Morrow can single-handedly turn a game.
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Shooting
Morrow was the Thunder's biggest offseason acquisition, mainly because the team needed a proven shooter, and he's one of the best in the game. When you look at his shot chart (courtesy of Vorped.com) from this season, you'll see that he's lived up to his end of the bargain.
The 29-year-old's three-point shooting has been especially important in the early going, with injuries eliminating the club's other options. Morrow, Ibaka (36.8 percent) and Nick Collison (35.7) are the only players shooting better than 34 percent from behind the arc.
In his second game with Oklahoma City, the Georgia Tech product put his sharpshooting on display in a comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Nov. 12. Morrow shot 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three, and finished with 28 points.
Here are the highlights of Morrow's big night:
There are a few constants throughout the video. First, the Celtics defense on Morrow was poor. On more than one occasion, the team forgot about him on the perimeter and was too slow to get a hand in his face. At the 1:30 mark, there didn't appear to be a Celtic player in the same zip code as Morrow before he drained the trey.
Second, Morrow seemingly never attacks the basket. When he drives off the perimeter, he stops outside of the paint and settles for the jumper. Per Basketball-Reference.com, Morrow has taken three shots at the rim this season. He's missed all of them.
Fortunately for Morrow on this night, his mid-range game was on point. The Thunder also did a great job of continuously getting their veteran shooter while he had the hot hand.
"We were gonna keep force-feeding him,” said Jackson, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “That’s the name of the game. You find a mismatch and you keep taking advantage of it. He did a great job for us in the fourth, getting hot, making shots. He made the game easier for us.”
Morrow will become even more dangerous once Durant and Westbrook return. The attention paid to the team's star players should allow more open looks for the veteran marksman.
Lack of Turnovers
There are many reasons behind Oklahoma City's 3-9 start. Turnovers are certainly near the top of the list. The Thunder are averaging 15 mistakes per game, which puts them 22nd in the league. They have turned the ball over a combined 43 times in their last three games.
Unsurprisingly, they lost all three games.
While the Thunder have become a walking bakery, turnovers haven't been the specialty on Morrow's menu. In five games, he has turned the ball over twice, none of which coming in the last three games. His ability to play mistake-free basketball has been one of the bright spots for Oklahoma City.
The main reason behind Morrow's lack of errors is he doesn't hold on to the basketball for very long. According to NBA.com, Morrow takes a shot before dribbling 53.7 percent of the time. He also touches the ball for under two seconds 66.7 percent of the time.
By comparison, Jackson frequently takes more than seven dribbles (35.6 percent). He also holds the ball between two and six seconds 42.3 percent of the time. He's also averaging 3.6 turnovers per game. In other words, while Jackson takes his time creating offense, Morrow's approach is more like hot potato.
The Oklahoma City Thunder haven't had many positive moments this season. However, the return of Anthony Morrow is one of them. Going forward, he will be a key role player for a team desperately making a run at the playoffs.
The spark he provides coming off the bench will come in handy and add much-needed depth. With him and Reggie Jackson leading the attack, the second unit will have quite the scoring punch. Plus, playing with another dangerous shooter in Durant will force defenses to pick their poison on the perimeter.
He won't get the attention that the team's star players garner, but his ability to turn a game around with his shooting will be huge for a club that needs every win it can get.
Note: All statistics accurate as of November 18, 2014.
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