Anthony Morrow Playing Critical Role for New-Look Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder signed Anthony Morrow to a three-year, $10 million deal over the summer, but you can't put a price tag on what he's meant to the team this season, especially in recent weeks.
With the body count on the Thunder's injury report continuing to grow, the 29-year-old is keeping hope alive with his sweet shooting.
Other than human triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, no Thunder player has been hotter than Morrow since the All-Star break. He's knocked down at least one three-pointer in each of his last 16 games, and his 13.6 points in March represent his best monthly effort of the season.
| Month | Minutes Per Game | Points Per Game | Three-Point Percentage | |
| November | 28.7 | 11.7 | 38.8 | |
| December | 23.9 | 9.5 | 40.9 | |
| January | 21.6 | 7.6 | 28.3 | |
| February | 21.5 | 9.7 | 51.7 | |
| March | 23.6 | 13.6 | 50 |
After finishing fourth league-wide with a conversion rate of 45.1 percent from three last season, Morrow's 41.7 percent from deep ranks 11th in the NBA. The Georgia Tech product's shooting has caught the attention of his fellow teammates.
"He's playing great," Nick Collison said, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. "Shooting the ball with confidence. He's one of the best shooters in the league. Always has been."
Morrow's ability to shoot threes is largely why he's managed to stay relevant in the NBA. Even as he's bounced around to six different teams in as many years, it has been his one tangible skill and is the main reason why the Thunder signed him in the offseason, as well as the cause for his recent explosion.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Morrow's career 42.6 percent mark from behind the arc is 10th best of all time.
With Morrow catching fire lately, Westbrook knows it would be in the team's best interest to get him the ball whenever possible, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
"It's so important that towards the end of the games that we learn from our mistakes, especially myself, on being able to find our shooters. [Morrow's] one of the best shooters in the world, in the NBA, and my job is to be able to read the defense. A lot of attention is on me late in the game, and my job is to be able to find the shooters.
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With Kevin Durant (foot) and Serge Ibaka (knee) out indefinitely, the Thunder are in critical need of Morrow taking on and sustaining success with a larger role.
Morrow, Durant and Ibaka are the team's best perimeter shooting threats. Steve Novak, a career 43.2 percent three-point shooter, is on the roster but doesn't have a real role with the team. With Durant and Ibaka sidelined indefinitely, the Thunder doesn't have many options to space the floor. If Morrow has an off night, your next-best option statistically is point guard D.J. Augustin, who has nailed a respectable 33.9 percent of his threes since making his OKC debut on Feb. 21.
In this shot chart courtesy, of Vorped, you'll see Morrow works the corners better than Marlo Stanfield.
How important is Morrow's sharpshooting to the Thunder's offense?
As a team, the Thunder is shooting 33.3 percent from behind the arc, which places OKC in a tie for 23rd with the Sacramento Kings.
Of OKC's 519 made three-pointers, Morrow is responsible for 106, which represents 20.4 percent of the team's successful attempts from behind the arc. When you take Morrow's numbers out of the equation, the mark dips to 31.6 percent, with only the Charlotte Hornets (31.4 percent) being more inept from deep.
Without Durant and Ibaka, the Thunder's starting lineup underwent a massive reconstruction. In the last five games, Dion Waiters ran with the first string, leaving Morrow as the de facto sixth man. During that stretch, Morrow contributed 15.6 points and shot 54.3 percent from three. No other Thunder bench player averaged double digits in scoring.
With Morrow coming off the bench, he brings a new dimension to the offense that isn't present in the current starting five of Steven Adams, Mitch McGary, Andre Roberson, Waiters and Westbrook. None of those players have a consistent enough outside jumper to space the floor. Opposing defenses can afford to sag off the perimeter and clog the paint in an attempt to thwart Waiters or Westbrook's slashing attacks.
| Adams | 0 |
| McGary | 0 |
| Waiters | 27.4 |
| Roberson | 25.7 |
| Westbrook | 30.1 |
While Morrow's placement in the starting lineup would give the first string some balance, there isn't a suitable place to put him that doesn't weaken another area. If he starts over Roberson, the first five is without its best perimeter defense and the second unit's offense suffers from replacing Morrow with a player averaging 3.5 points per game.
Meanwhile, Waiters has averaged 15.4 points in seven games as a starter for the Thunder, compared to 10.5 points in 27 appearances as a reserve. Even with Waiters' experience as a sixth man, why put him back in a role in which he's been less productive? If nothing else, the dearth of outside shooting in the starting rotation just makes Morrow's presence even more important.
Morrow knows his offensive contributions are crucial, per Chuck Chaney of ThunderObsessed.com.
"I still have to make shots, no matter what. That’s part of the game, going out there and still have to do what you are known to do. But when guys make you change your game, good defensive teams run you off the line, you have to improvise, whether it’s passing off the dribble, mid-range, whatever you need to do to still be effective in the game offensively you have to be able to do it.
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In a season shrouded by black clouds, the emergence of Anthony Morrow has been like a breath of fresh air for the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the roster ravaged by injuries, the team needed players to step up, and Morrow has delivered in his first season with the team.
While Russell Westbrook has put the club on his back in an effort to keep the Thunder in playoff contention, Westbrook and the Thunder will rely on Morrow playing a larger role.
The team brought Morrow in as an affordable role player, but it ended up with one of basketball's best bargains.
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