Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports Images
Don’t expect much from the Phoenix Suns in the 2013-2014 NBA season. They are undoubtedly going to be one of the worst teams in the league as they try and blow things up once again and rebuild for a better future as a franchise. This season is all about playing with expiring contracts and young players that the Suns can develop.
Though the outlook for this year in Phoenix isn’t great, they do have a lot of young talent on their roster right now. Kendall Marshall could develop into a solid facilitator in the NBA, Alex Len could be an impact rookie, Archie Goodwin could surprise a lot of people and Marcus Morris could be a real scoring threat. However it’s Markieff Morris, Marcus’ twin brother, that should have the Suns the most excited.
In his second NBA season last year, Morris played in all 82 games for Phoenix, starting in 32 of them. He averaged 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.9 steals in 22.4 minutes per game. However, he shot only 40.7 percent from the floor last season and only 33.6 percent from three.
At the Las Vegas Summer League for Phoenix, Markieff really turned some heads with his versatility as a player. In seven games he averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in only 22.9 minutes per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor.
The most impressive thing that Morris showed at Summer League was his ability to affect the game in numerous ways. He showed solid ability defensively, on the glass and as a semi-versatile scorer.
There’s no telling if Morris will be able to carry that success from Vegas into the regular season against better competition, but that doesn’t change the fact that the potential is there. With this paltry Suns team for the upcoming season, Markieff will certainly have the opportunity to shine. We shall see if he takes advantage of that chance.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.
