Monte Morris
Iowa State point guard Monte Morris is on the Bulls’ radar, according to Ford and Pelton.
“One dark horse for the Bulls is Iowa State’s Monte Morris. Fred Hoiberg coached him, and sources say the Bulls’ coach loves him. While Morris doesn’t have a huge upside, he posts an incredible assist-to-turnover ratio every season and is shooting 40 percent from 3 as a senior. Morris is ranked in the 30s right now, but some teams, including the Bulls, have him ranked much higher.”
Morris, currently a senior at Iowa State, played his first two college seasons under Hoiberg before his coach made the NBA jump to Chicago. This season, Morris is leading the Cyclones with 15.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. The praise he receives from Ford and Pelton regarding his assist-to-turnover ratio (AST) is no joke. At 4.87, Morris’s AST is the best among all Division I players in NCAA men’s basketball. The 40% shooting from downtown would be another nice perk for a Bulls team in desperate need of capable distance shooters in their backcourt. As a downside, Monte isn’t considered to be an elite athlete and he’s only 6’2.
Tunnel Vision
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Bulls are looking closely at Morris. Hoiberg knows his skillset and is impressed with his basketball IQ. Obviously, Monte is familiar with Fred’s “pace and space” offensive system. Then there’s the confounding Bulls-Iowa Sate Connection. Forman’s ties to Iowa State led him to hand-pick Hoiberg to replace Tom Thibodeau two years ago. Doug McDermott played college ball at Creighton, but he’s from Ames and has known Hoiberg since he was a kid. Doug’s father Greg McDermott was Hoiberg’s predecessor, serving as the Cyclones’ head coach from 2007-2010.
The big question, however, is whether or not Morris is a strong enough value as a first round pick in the teens. The Bulls’ recent first round picks (Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis, and yes-even Doug) are underwhelming thus far at the NBA level despite the huge fanfare they received from GarPax.
Can Bulls fans really expect Hoiberg and his bosses to spend equal time evaluating every possible option in the draft if they’ve got Morris occupying their minds? Will he be a reach wherever they take him, leaving more talented options on the board because they want “their guy” from Iowa State? It’s very possible. All you have to do is remember the so-called “search” for Thibodeau’s replacement. Gar promised that it would be expansive and intricate, but everyone knew he preemptively landed on Hoiberg. Now that Fred’s on board, will all three of them spout the same spiel about the 2017 draft before selecting Morris? Again, very possible.
The Bulls aren’t bad enough to land Lonzo or Fultz. They are bad enough to be in a position to draft Morris and be judged for overreaching. Perhaps we’re analyzing this too prematurely. After all, Gar still thinks the Bulls are ready to make some noise in the playoffs. Who cares about the 2017 draft?
