Can a Monster Slam Foreshadow a Monster Season For Marcus Morris?

With the Jayhawks well on their way to what became a 103-45 exhibition drubbing of in-state Div. II school, Pittsburg State, Marcus Morris received a beautiful no look pass from sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor and finished with a level of authority that befitted the feed from Taylor.

The dunk has become a YouTube favorite among many KU Basketball fans, and provided the biggest talking point of what really was a yawner of an exhibition game. The dunk brings a longer lasting question into play in my mind—can a dunk of this magnitude vault Marcus Morris to a productive season?

In describing the dunk, the Morris twin wearing number 22 claimed, "I’ve never been a dunker, as y’all saw last year. I’ve been more a finesse player." He also claimed that the dunk was just his second best of his career, with the first coming just a few days before, in practice against All-American Center, Cole Aldrich.

Perhaps the dunk and the attention Morris received thereafter will get Coach Bill Self off of the Morris twin's back a bit at practice. Self is hard on both Morris twins, but particularly Marcus, who often fails to realize the potential of his size and power. 

In a recent  piece on Self by the Kansas City star, Self was quoted during practice as chiding Marcus Morris for being what in the player's mind is his strong suit, a "finesse player." "You got to drive, Marcus! All you want to do is shoot a damn three-pointer every time. You’re a good driver and all you want to do is play to your worst weakness!" Self yelled.

Clearly there is a difference in opinion between player and coach as to what type of player Marcus Morris really is. While the twin made a couple of open three-pointers last season, at 6'9" 230 lbs, Marcus Morris isn't exactly built like a finesse player.

Both Morris twins reportedly put on muscle in the offseason and it is abundantly clear that coach Bill Self wants Marcus Morris to use that improved strength to get to the basket, instead of settling for 10 to 12-foot jumpers. If the dunk highlighted anything, it highlighted the fact that Morris can be the power player that Self wants.

The offseason brought two new big men to KU's already loaded squad. Thomas Robinson, a 6'9" Freshman and a transfer from Arizona, 7-foot redshirt freshman Jeff Withey. The addition of these two freshman to the squad has sparked heavy competition for the four spot in KU's starting lineup.

Last year, Marcus was battling his brother for the four spot. Now, with Thomas Robinson challenging for that spot, it may be well into the non-conference schedule before we see one of these players emerge as ther perennial starter.

If Self can convince Marcus to buy into the fact that he can be a much more productive big man as a powerful, dribble drive player instead of a bigger guy who should be a  jump shooter, Marcus will flourish. However it will be up to Marcus himself, whether or not to buy into that idea.

If Marcus buys into that philosophy and Self can rely on him to look to get to the basket with the same authority his monster slam received, Morris will not only see his minutes go up, but Kansas will be that much better. That is a scary prospect for the teammates competing for the position and KU's opponents alike.

A highlight reel dunk can receive a lot of attention, but rarely can it be a precursor to something better. In Marcus Morris' case, his dunk against Pittsburg State could be a telling illustration that the sophomore forward is ready to shed his "finesse" ways and become the power player Bill Self wants him to be.