Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
Markieff Morris on three-pointers: 'I'll shoot them better this year'
Published
Oct. 13, 2015 11:02 a.m. ET
foxsports
Markieff Morris plays power forward for the Suns, but just like many around the league at his position, he's expected to make three-pointers at a reasonable percentage.
His best season from beyond the arc was his rookie year when he shot 34.7 percent from three-point distance, but that was four long seasons ago, and last year he finished with a mark of just 31.8 percent.
It was a point of emphasis for Morris during his offseason workouts, and he promises he'll be improved in that area during the upcoming season. As noted by Bright Side of the Sun's Dave King:
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"Coach emphasized I got to take more threes, I got to shoot more threes," Morris said of this season. "You know, I gotta shoot them. I'm open. That's what I was just doing."
Morris doesn't have to become a dead-eye three point shooter. He just has to be passable and he has to take them when he's open. Last year, Morris often ran himself off the three-point line to drive into a closer shot, allowing the defense to sag back on every catch. But if he can just take the shot without hesitation, and make 34% or more of them, the defense will have to play him tight. And if they have to play the four man out to the line, along with the weak side guard and small forward, driving lanes will open for everyone including himself.
Morris, who put up 15 points a game last year, will be even better if he can stretch out his game beyond the money line. That takes him out of his comfort zone, which is the midrange, but he's showing he's ready to take that next step after a summer of hard work.
"Three pointers, for the most part," he said of what he worked on this summer. "I shot them terrible last year. I'll shoot them better this year."
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