Here’s a fun statistical for your general consideration: Marcus Morris, in the span of this single season, went from shooting 44 percent from three for the Knicks to shooting 31 percent from three for the Clippers. Isn’t that fun or what? I’m having so much fun right now. I’m not even going to mention the precipitous drop in his PPG per game.
Remember: Knicks = bad team, and Clippers = good team. Normally, when players go from a bad team to a good team, sure, their raw counting stats go down, but they have a good chance of becoming more efficient. Open looks are easier to come by when you’re not the only guy on the court who’s a threat to score the ball.
So what happened with Morris? Obviously, I don’t have any real idea, because I’m just some random internet commentator with no real knowledge of how being in the NBA really is, but my guess is this: playing meaningful basketball for a winning team was too much for him. I imagine it’s super easy to go out there and ball at a high level when you don’t have to worry about actually trying to win. On a good team, there’s pressure to make those shots.
19 points in the first game of the playoffs is a good sign, basically right in line with what he was doing in New York. Now that the real Carmelo is back in the league, we don’t exactly need a clone of him, but Morris pulled out his impersonation anyway to help the Clippers get the W.