Season review: Marcus Morris

The Cavs had to rely on the veteran wing, maybe too much.

Hurting for wing depth and in dire need of healthy bodies, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Marcus Morris back in March to give the team a little punch. It was an uneven experience, but there is no denying that Morris highlighted an issue with the Cavs’ bench.

In 12 games, Morris averaged 5.8 points on 44.1% shooting from the floor. He inexplicably shot 41.4% from deep. He chest-bumped Evan Mobley a few times and was another veteran presence in the locker room, for whatever that is worth. It was a limited experience, but it’s not the stats that matter the most when telling the story of Morris’ season.

The Cavs had to rely on Morris far too often because of an inherent lack of viable wings and forwards on the roster. Dean Wade was hurt which somewhat necessitated the Morris signing. Georges Niang was borderline unplayable in the playoffs. Caris LeVert had to act as the de facto backup point guard. Max Strus was hot and cold (mostly cold in the latter part of the season) and Isaac Okoro came and went on the offensive end.

Now-fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was forced to turn to Morris for minutes not just in garbage time but in crunch time and longer stretches. There is a reason that Morris was let go by the Philadelphia 76ers, and that he was still available for a 10-day contract. Relying on that kind of player, a 34-year-old nomadic veteran, for important court time is a difficult tightrope to traverse. Bickerstaff tended to gravitate toward veterans first, such as Tristan Thompson over Damian Jones, but it was different with Morris. At times, Bickerstaff was just looking for a spark.

Morris is not someone to be counted on for large stretches anymore. The Cavs were outscored by -12.6 points per 100 possessions (5th percentile) with Morris on the floor. From a statistical perspective, it was his worst season in on/off differential since 2012-13 when he was a member of the Phoenix Suns. The Cavs were not better with him on the floor, it just sometimes looked better because he could provide something else when he wasn’t hitting shots unlike Niang.

The lasting memory of Morris will be his 25 points in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Morris shot 10-13 from the floor including 5-6 from deep in just 33 minutes. But again, it highlights the issue with the Cavs – they had to play Morris for 33 minutes in a win-or-go-home game in the second round of the playoffs.

There is little to no chance that he will be on the roster next season, as the Cavs are destined for a complete makeover. But fans will have the lasting memory of Morris hitting three after three in TD Garden.