Markieff Morris: 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades

Weaknesses:

To be a power forward in this league, you need to be able to bang bodies in the paint. You need to be able to hold your own on the glass and in the West, you need to be able to defend the Blake Griffins, Zach Randolphs and Serge Ibakas on a nightly basis.

Markieff Morris can only do so much about his physical limitations, but the fact of the matter is, he needs to be a better rebounder.

Averaging 6.2 boards per game, Keef ranked tied for 23rd among all power forwards in rebounding, per ESPN.com. He ranked 37th among forwards who were at least 6’7″, per NBA.com. At 6’10”, Morris is taller than Randolph and Draymond Green and he’s the same height as Griffin and Ibaka. And, yet, all four of those players had far superior rebounding numbers.

When Keef was on the floor, he collected a meager 10.8 percent of available rebounds. Just for reference, that ranked him 33rd among forwards who played at least 25 minutes per game this season, putting him right alongside names like Harrison Barnes, Wilson Chandler, Kevin Durant and teammate P.J. Tucker — all small forwards.

For a starting power forward, those numbers need to be much higher.

It’s not just on the boards where Keef struggles to hold his own defensively, however. Though he’s actually a better interior defender than he’s given credit for (more on this in a bit), the percentages he holds his opponents to probably look better than they really are considering how often he bails them out with a foul.

With a total of 245 fouls this season (3.0 per game), Keef ranked fifth in the NBA in personal fouls. That number’s a bit inflated because Morris played all 82 games, but the point still stands: Keef often has to resort to fouling near the basket because he’s not strong enough to stop the big bruisers of the West.

Fortunately, Morris is more than aware of his need for improvement when it comes to preparing his body for that kind of nightly punishment.

“Eighty-two games is a lot,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to play and start all 82. In the offseason I have to work on my body a lot more and get used to this gruesome schedule.”

Markieff’s most notable flaws lie on the defensive end of the floor, but he’s not a perfect offensive player either. He’s a dynamic scorer when he catches the ball near the block, faces up and goes to work one-on-one, but his midrange shot didn’t fall this year as often as you’d think from the left side of the floor:

With the departure of Channing Frye, the Suns lost a dynamic offensive weapon. His abilities to spread the floor as a stretch-four who knocked down threes at a deadly efficient clip opened up lanes for Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe to attack the basket.

It seemed like Keef had vastly improved his three-point touch when he shot 39 percent from downtown in December, but he quickly came back down to earth afterward.

Last season, Keef attempted only 1.3 threes per game, converting at a 31.5 percent of this attempts. This year, he increased his attempts to 2.2 per game, but was only able to raise his three-point efficiency by 0.3 percent to 31.8. He was stellar from the top of the key, but other than that, he needs to continue improving in that respect.

Finally, we can’t bring up Markieff Morris’ flaws without talking about his temper. The Morrii have never played better than they did this past season, but it seems their reunion has given them a little too much confidence, especially when it comes to arguing with officials and s**t-talking opponents.

Keef is a good power forward on the rise, but he’s not that good. He had the second-most technical fouls in the league this season with 15, not to mention four disqualifications, three flagrant fouls and two ejections. This team is already shorthanded enough in the frontcourt without Keef losing his cool and being so unreliable.

Once again, Morris knows where he needs to get better. When asked whether his improvement needed to come from a physical or mental standpoint, he said, “Both. Being fit is the most important thing. I have to get my body better to play more inside than I have these last two seasons. I need to rebound better and physically and mentally get through all 82 games.”

Part of that mental aspect is not blowing up every time a call doesn’t go his way. It’s keeping his composure when an opponent opens their mouth. And pending the results of the felony aggravated assault charges facing the Morris twins, it’s working hard to restore your image (if need be) and avoiding off-court situations that could lead to more trouble.

Next: Strengths