Start Darius Morris

Still not completely sold but I loved watching him go after Flop Paul. The kid is growing on me. He does need to attack the paint with his speed though but I suspect that will come with playing time.

I'm in board with this guy. Gets a little lost on PnR defense, and hell, sometimes Chris Paul is Chris Paul. But he did a lot of things right in this game and can only get better with experience.

I would give him a try at starting at 1. He didn't back down from CP3 at all. CP3 will be CP3, he will get his no matter what. But I am impressed that Morris stuck with it. Sure Morris had some bone headed plays, but hes a rookie, stuff like that will happen. But lets give him a shot for a game, and see where it goes. Can't be any worse than Fisher.

I like how Morris is scrappy. CP3 was abusing him in the 1st quarter, and Morris fought back and ended the 1st with that buzzer beater three. He seems to have the tools to be a good defender.

He seems to be slip sliding around a little on defense. He may need better shoes.

He still needs to develop a 3-point shot. There were times when the Clips would double-team onto Kobe off of Morris, and Morris couldn't make them pay.

Blahdeh Deebatz wrote:I like how Morris is scrappy. CP3 was abusing him in the 1st quarter, and Morris fought back and ended the 1st with that buzzer beater three. He seems to have the tools to be a good defender.

He seems to be slip sliding around a little on defense. He may need better shoes.

He still needs to develop a 3-point shot. There were times when the Clips would double-team onto Kobe off of Morris, and Morris couldn't make them pay.

You can't make a team pay when you aren't passed the ball to shoot a wide open shot.

i like him.

Any players that is better than Luke is good on my books.

I like Morris but I'm a little worried how he'll play in crunch time. Guess he just needs to be put in that spot so he can learn to handle it.

Balance&Options24 wrote:Any players that is better than Luke is good on my books.

setting the bar pretty low aren't you?

Good game, he probably won't be a Paul or a Deron or a Rondo or a Rose, but he showed fire and fight while demonstrating skills on both the offensive as well as the defensive end.

With Blake injured for the next month or so, I really hope Morris gets more playing time, preferably start, or at least come in at the first or second time-out.

We probably won't start him as Fisher's ego will be unable to handle it, but I think he's going to be getting a ton of minutes, and that's what counts. Trial by fire style....in the long run I think he becomes pretty good. We see flashes already.....but the coaches have to actually teach the players how to run the offense in practice.

He's very raw, but I like his motor, his willingness to D up, and his feisty attitude.

fklukewalton wrote:

Balance&Options24 wrote:Any players that is better than Luke is good on my books.

setting the bar pretty low aren't you?

guess he thinks my grandma is good then lol

puffyusaf#2 wrote:Still not completely sold but I loved watching him go after Flop Paul. The kid is growing on me. He does need to attack the paint with his speed though but I suspect that will come with playing time.

Paul is a tough cover....even for elite perimeter defenders. At first Morris got roasted....but he kept his head up and started fighting back. So I think he gained a ton of trust today. I definitely think he's going to work out for us.

And at this stage...could he really be any worse than Fish? I think not.

I dont think he is ready for the starting pg...but i would rather have him than fisher,so i would be fine with it

They seriously need to start running the pick and roll with him. Passing it off and then clearing out to the other side of the court is not getting everything you can out of his skill set. It wouldn't hurt a couple times a game to run the pick and roll with Bynum or Gasol.

i like how he didnt back down against kneeP3

I'm backing him...but not yet as a starter. I want him playing every night though. Even when Blake comes back. Let's see what he can do with 10 minutes every night until the break.

He did step up and wasn't afraid in a "big game" but he's not going to have the opportunities to get better in a "give the ball to Kobe and GFTO the way type of offense"

I think he's getting better every nights out. I'll give 1 or 2 weeks to see what can he really do. At least he's not a shoot first PG like Farmar.

i love how kneep3 slaps mcroberts wrist to free the ball and drops like a fly when morris taps his hip

Janine Garcia wrote:i love how kneep3 slaps mcroberts wrist to free the ball and drops like a fly when morris taps his hip

i watched a minute or two of the clippers replay and lawler was praising CP3s strength in knocking the ball free when he clearly slapped mcroberts across the arm

hey, guys...im actually a Nuggets fan but please i'm not here to crash the party. I'm a big Michigan college fan and love Darius Morris. I just wanted to stop in and see what the Lakers fans really thought of him so far.

Im happy to see he is finally getting some PT to see exactly how good he can be. I think he will be a very good player in this league. Watching him over and over in college i think he has 2 big weaknesses but a ton of strengths. His weaknesses are obvious...his 3 pt shooting and his lateral quickness on the D-end. As far as the 3 pt shooting goes, he has the potential to be a adequate 3 pt shooter probably around 35%. He'll never be one of those guys that chuck up 3s left and right thats for sure. ON the D end, i think he'll struggle with guys like Rose and Cp3. Basically the top tier PG's because they are so quick (but who doesnt struggle). I believe this is due to his size since he's a little bigger and the fact that he isn't the best athlete. He will be a serviceable Defender. I dont see neither of these weaknesses being so poor that it will prevent him from being a decent player in the league.

Now for strengths...i've seen it already that some guys think he's just a gamer, and he is. The boy works hard and plays hard every play. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He's a great passer when given the oppurtunity. I think the Andre Miller comparison is a good one. I do think Morris will be a decent 3 pt shooter which Dre is not. But what makes Dre Miller who he is, is what he can do down low. Miller loves to play like a big man closer to the basket and post up smaller PG's with his strength. I do think Darius is capable of this, it's whether or not the coaching staff will spend the time with him. He did it some in college but it's an entire different breed of players in the nba that you are going up against.

A move that Darius did well in college was his floater. He only went to it once or twice a game but was usually successful. Darius almost knocked out duke in the NCAA tourny last year with it at the buzzer, but it came up short. He would have made that 9 out of 10 times. You will also be surprised at his around the rim skills. Once he gets the confidence and the green light to hit the hole, you will be surprised at his driving skills. He can finish fairly well and will at times make a spectacular basket. I'm sure it will be a struggle at times in the beginning as some of these bigs will block a few shots, but once he gets the experience, he will be just fine.

Overall, i think he will be a solid player in this league. I would hope that Derek Fisher is working with him especially on his Defense. He should be a great mentor for Morris. As a fan of his, i really hope LA gives him the greenlight eventually just to see what he'll become. I know a team like LA though isnt always patient and if Fisher leaves, they might bring in a vet to replace him which is understandable.

Anyways, good luck to LA this season. Nugs and Lakeshow split earlier this season in 2 fun games to watch. Hopefully we can meet you in the playoffs so we can watch the Ty Lawson vs Kobe Show lol. Take care all.

^^^ Nice post, great points.

I too watched a couple of Morris' games from college and the only thing I see that I want him to do more of is when he penetrates the defense to look for his shot. Defenders are just sticking to their man when he penetrates bc they don't fear that he is going to shoot and score. This closes down the passing lanes and takes away a part of his game that excels at. He needs to unleash that floater, take it hard to the basket or pull up for a shot in the paint. If he does that with some success, the defenders will have to honor that and come off their man which will lead to easy buckets for our bigs.

So far he looks good. Right now it probably makes more sense to start Fish and then bring Morris off the bench. If he plays right, you let him go longer but if not, you bring Fish. Fish is fried though...