Adam Morrison is undoubtedly the most disappointing rookie of the season. I never thought he would be as good as everyone expected him to be, but I did expect him to be a consistent contributor and he is – just a consistently terrible one Looking at the stats, Morrison averages 12.3 points on an awful 12.7 shots per game. His field goal percentage is horrendous: 37.5% from the field and 33% from downtown. He’s also shooting a little less than 71% from the free throw line, which is pretty bad considering he’s supposed to be a lights out shooter. His handle isn’t good enough to create off the dribble and he definitely doesn’t have the foot speed to blow by defenders, especially athletic ones. Morrison also doesn’t rebound particularly well and his defense is simply terrible to say the least. When you factor in he plays 31 minutes nightly, Morrison might be one of the worst NBA players in terms of production. For someone who plays as many minutes as a decent NBA veteran, his PER is only 7.50. I’m not even too keen on the PER stat since it is mostly focused on a players offensive production on the box score. Lucky for Morrison that stat doesn’t really focus on the defensive end of the floor or Morrison’s PER would have been much worse.
At the beginning of the season I agreed with the statement completly but everybody was still thinking he was playing well because Bernie was trying to make him the vocal point of our offense. He hasn't been that bad since the all star break though. I don't cringe everytime he shoots a 3 pointer like I used too because he's actually been making them. He was picked too early but with the way Bob Johnson is trying to run this franchise by picking marketable players because he's just trying to make money and he isn't right now. I don't think theres been a game this season where I havn't seen someone wearing a mustache or a Morrison jersey so the pick is doing what he wanted. This draft was bad anyways we can get a better 2 guard with the 2nd 1st rounder we're going to more then likely get from Toronto
Oh how people forget he's just a rookie. Not everyone is a Wade, LeBron, etc... kind of player who adjusts to the NBA game right away. Give him a couple of seasons before you call him one of the worst players in the NBA.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Oh how people forget he's just a rookie. Not everyone is a Wade, LeBron, etc... kind of player who adjusts to the NBA game right away. Give him a couple of seasons before you call him one of the worst players in the NBA.</div> Exactly. He hasnt even played a full season yet, I think he's actually had a good season in the scheme of things, he has definatley proven the potential is there, he's getting shots off, he just needs to work on making sure more of them are dropping. He was never going to come in this season and blaze through the league, he only had so much emphasis place on him this season because it was such a weak draft class, and he was argubally the top college prospect going into the draft. He needs work, he knows that, the Bobcats know that, we know that, he is a work in progress, give him some time to develop before you start shooting him down, he has tremendous potential. I can see him averaging 20ppg in a few seasons time.
He will get better, but he's still somewhat of a disappointment. Because he had such a good college run he got more credit than he deserved, while people like Bargnani were doubted because they were "Euro". Bargnani looks to be a def. starter and probably an AllStar, maybe even a franchise guy in the coming years. Morrison looks like he could be the next Eric Piatowski or Casey Jacobsen (on the low end of the scale) - he may also reach Allstar status but there are many more question marks about him than with Barg. Not saying i think he will become a 8mpg guy, but it's definitely conceivable. Hopefully this will be the year where people stop assuming the cliched notion that: Euro star = likely bust and American college star = will contribute right away. It's becoming clear that nobody knows anything as far as whether players will come from Europe or college as to how that will translate to the NBA game. How many college superstars have mediocre-at-best NBA careers? And how many guys came out of nowhere to be NBA stars??
He's disappointing to say the least. Considering how many minutes he gets, he's one of the worst rookies right now. The fact that he made the Rookie-Sophomore game was retarded and I laugh whenever I hear his name mentioned in RoY talks. He's still young, so there's always the chance that he improves, but the alarming thing is that some of his shortcomings just seem to arise from a lack of effort (eg: his defensive stance, his aggressiveness on the boards, his hustle, etc.).
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Oh how people forget he's just a rookie. Not everyone is a Wade, LeBron, etc... kind of player who adjusts to the NBA game right away. Give him a couple of seasons before you call him one of the worst players in the NBA.</div> As of now, he is one of the worst players in the league. He shoots the most out of anyone on the team, while having the worst FG%. Add this to the fact he's a horrendous defender, rebounder and plays 31 minutes per game, you have yourself a pretty bad NBA player. To be blunt, Adam Morrison has sucked his rookie year. People thought this guy would score at least 16 PPG and possibly 20 PPG. Morrison is pretty much a one-dimensional shooter; he's too slow and unskilled to get off his shot otherwise. Still, I think he can and will improve. I don't see him being a perennial all-star like he was made out to be in the draft, but I see him being solid. However, speaking right now, he isn't. In fact, it's very alarming he was the third pick and this bad. He contributes very little on the court on a nightly basis.
I dont know how you can say he has been dissapointing, he is putting up 12.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.0apg, and is the leading point scorer out of all the Rookies this year, those are pretty decent numbers for a Rookie. Of course he isnt without his flaws, he has shot poorly as you stated, and his defense is virtually non existant, he still has a ways to go, we all know that.
Let's not downplay what the expectations were when he was drafted. Not only were people expecting Morrison to be an instant contributor, but they were figuring him to be one of Charlotte's better scoring options and a frontrunner for RoY. In a very weak draft, he's been unimpressive. He isn't leading all rookies in scoring (Brandon Roy is with 16.3 ppg), but he is playing among the most minutes and shooting more than any of them.
Well the media put those expectations on him, so I dont understand how its his fault. As I said earlier, they only put such high expectations on him, because he was the leading scorer coming out of college, J.J Redick had the same. He is a jump shooter by nature, he is getting the shots off, has just been unlucky this season with them not dropping as often as they should. He is the leading point scorer out of all Rookies, with 873 points, Brandon Roy is second with 813. Adam Morrison hasnt been great this season, he wont, and shouldnt win ROTY (Brandon Roy has it wrapped up), but to say he is the worst player in the league is taking it a bit far I think.
The media, the fans, and the team that drafted him. All of them expected Morrison to make more of an immediate impact than any of the rookies and I don't see how its unjustified. He was the best scorer in college so that was supposed to translate into something tangible in the NBA. But it really hasn't. And considering he has a lot less potential than most of the players picked in the lottery, I'd say the fact that he's struggled so much is definitely disappointing. You can say that "his shots just aren't falling," but that excuse only works for so long. They haven't been falling all season and that's more than simply unlucky. lol, and since have we used point totals? Scoring is measured by ppg and Brandon Roy is the clear leader.
<div class="quote_poster">NTC187 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I dont know how you can say he has been dissapointing, he is putting up 12.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.0apg, and is the leading point scorer out of all the Rookies this year, those are pretty decent numbers for a Rookie. Of course he isnt without his flaws, he has shot poorly as you stated, and his defense is virtually non existant, he still has a ways to go, we all know that.</div> But that's still inefficient basketball. Almost 13 shot attempts for 12 points is not good basketball. Morrison hasn't excelled in anything this season and has been virtually useless as a player. Chutney pretty muched summed everything else up.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The media, the fans, and the team that drafted him. All of them expected Morrison to make more of an immediate impact than any of the rookies and I don't see how its unjustified. He was the best scorer in college so that was supposed to translate into something tangible in the NBA. But it really hasn't. And considering he has a lot less potential than most of the players picked in the lottery, I'd say the fact that he's struggled so much is definitely disappointing. You can say that "his shots just aren't falling," but that excuse only works for so long. They haven't been falling all season and that's more than simply unlucky. lol, and since have we used point totals? Scoring is measured by ppg and Brandon Roy is the clear leader.</div> How do you measure his potential? Do you realize the progress he's made in such a short period of time? As a senior in high school, he was a fat kid who couldn't get a DI offer from any high-major school, a kid who wasn't rated by any national sources as a top 250 recruit, yet he wound up being the #1 player in that class in less than two years. If that doesn't show the potential to progress as a player, I don't know what does. And it's not like he doesn't have the physical abilities to make it in the NBA. He's 6'8", has decent length, and is still very skinny with a frame that can take more weight. If anything, he has more potential than a lot of players in this year's class. As for his disappointing season, hell yeah it's been a let down. The thing that bugs me about it is that it's not like the scouts and analysts were wrong. The abilities that he displayed in college were nothing short of amazing and definitely warranted the attention he got. Frankly, I don't know what's happening, because the national media never coverages the Bobcats. I bet that no one in this thread aside from the one Bobcats fan has seen him more than once or twice this season. Is it really due to a lack of effort? I have a hard time believing that, because Morrison was one of the hardest workers on the collegiate level. However disappointing it may be though, you have to realize that rookie seasons are seasons of adjustment, learning, etc. and are not a measure of how a player will fair throughout his career. I think that's especially the case with Morrison's shooting. He's a hell of a shooter, but when you factor in all of the mental stressors of rookie life for a rookie that has as much pressure as he has, it's understandable to see him hitting the rookie wall. Shooting is largely mental, and I expect him to get his groove back once he gets more experience.
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How do you measure his potential? Do you realize the progress he's made in such a short period of time? As a senior in high school, he was a fat kid who couldn't get a DI offer from any high-major school, a kid who wasn't rated by any national sources as a top 250 recruit, yet he wound up being the #1 player in that class in less than two years. If that doesn't show the potential to progress as a player, I don't know what does. And it's not like he doesn't have the physical abilities to make it in the NBA. He's 6'8", has decent length, and is still very skinny with a frame that can take more weight. If anything, he has more potential than a lot of players in this year's class. As for his disappointing season, hell yeah it's been a let down. The thing that bugs me about it is that it's not like the scouts and analysts were wrong. The abilities that he displayed in college were nothing short of amazing and definitely warranted the attention he got. Frankly, I don't know what's happening, because the national media never coverages the Bobcats. I bet that no one in this thread aside from the one Bobcats fan has seen him more than once or twice this season. Is it really due to a lack of effort? I have a hard time believing that, because Morrison was one of the hardest workers on the collegiate level. However disappointing it may be though, you have to realize that rookie seasons are seasons of adjustment, learning, etc. and are not a measure of how a player will fair throughout his career. I think that's especially the case with Morrison's shooting. He's a hell of a shooter, but when you factor in all of the mental stressors of rookie life for a rookie that has as much pressure as he has, it's understandable to see him hitting the rookie wall. Shooting is largely mental, and I expect him to get his groove back once he gets more experience.</div> Well I tend to judge potential on age, athleticism, intelligence, work effort, and a player's skillset. Morrison's still pretty young, so that's not much of a problem. He shows average athleticism. What's surprising is that a lot of the time he isn't showcasing the IQ that made him so successful in the college level. He's inefficient, still gets mixed up with offensive plays, and doesn't anticipate on defense. He's not lazy by any means, but he doesn't put enough effort into defending his man. Also, his skill set isn't that diverse. I mean he'll always be a tremendous scorer, so I don't think there's any doubting that it'll come to him eventually. But, he's a surprisingly ineffective rebounder for a 6'8" dude and looks completely lost on the defensive end. I don't know how much he can improve in those areas. Keep in mind that I said he has less potential relative to the other lottery picks. GM's knew this was a weak draft so they were more willing to take a chance on less developed prospects who could develop into better players in the long run (Andrea Bargnani, Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, etc.). Conversely, Morrison along with Brandon Roy and Randy Foye were expected to have a greater impact originally, because they had been successful at the college level. It's not as much a knock on Morrison's potential as it is a testament to what was expected of him when he was drafted. The situation that he entered into in Charlotte is perfect for a rookie, but he has definitely struggled.
You guys are really overating his deficiences right now. Yes, he's been bad but worst rookie? Come on this draft was horrible and other then Roy who else could we have taken? Roy refused to work out for us before the draft and why would we take a player that we havn't had a 1 on 1 scouting session Morrison has improved A LOT on defense this year to the point where we don't have to play zone every time he's on the court. His shot has been better since the all star break as well. I didn't like the pick at first and still don't really like it now but when he get's hot he is amazing and we can be really good when this happens Also, we have Bernie Bickerstaff as our head coach who uses all of 5 total plays during a game. I'm not even exagerating that we only have 4-5 plays that we use because Bernie is an idiot. I don't think Morrison will be a starter in this league but he can definitly improve to the point where he's a top role player off the bench
Also, the only reason his FG% is so bad is because of Bernie's inability to get Morrison out of slumps. Instead of telling him to drive to get confidence he told him to chuck up deep 3 pointers which just lowered his confidence. Anybody watch the Minnesota game? 26 2nd half points to bring us back after being behind 20. Or the Spurs game where he lit up Bruce Bowen for 27. The talent is there we just have to use him right and he has to get stronger and quicker over the offseason
I agree with those saying he's just a rookie. I think people would've accepted the he's just a rookie more if he wasn't so innefficient. I think the taking more shots than the points you score thing is kind of what has some people questioning him. He should improve though, and he could end up surprising some, or then again, maybe not, but don't expect him to stay like this, he is still a rookie.
He has the right frame, he needs to get up to at least somthing like 220lbs, that way he should be able to bang in the paint more with some of the bigger guys, he needs to work on that during the off season.
So he's shown the potential to light up teams, and the ability to go for long slumps Anyone would think he's a rookie or something
7 minutes last night and 0 in the 2nd half Bernie doesn't even like him now and he was the one on his dick to begin the season.
