Why Monte Morris should start over Gary Harris

For the last two seasons, Monte Morris has been more effective for the Denver Nuggets than Gary Harris.

When the Denver Nuggets resume their 2019-20 season, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone should consider the possibility of a change in the starting lineup. A change that sees third-year pro Monte Morris starting over six-year veteran Gary Harris, with the former starting at point guard and shifting Jamal Murray down to his natural position.

Not only is Morris a more consistent shooter from 3-point range and a better facilitator than Harris but one of the reasons that Murray has been an inconsistent 3-point shooter is his steadily increasing tendency to take pull-up 3-pointers.

As Murray is more efficient in catch-and-shoot situations, it would seem that it would be better to play Murray off the ball more. However, because small forward Will Barton and Nikola Jokic are taking on about as much responsibility as they should as ball-handers and playmakers, it seems the safest and wisest option for the Nuggets is to add another playmaking perimeter player to the lineup.

That player should be Morris, a four-year player at a respected collegiate program (Iowa State) that’s spent his entire career in Denver and in Malone’s system (although he spent the majority of his rookie season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers).

Over the past two seasons, Morris has played 147 regular season games with the Nuggets and started 14 of them (he’s 9-5 in his starts), averaging 9.5 points, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 22.9 minutes per game. He’s shot 47.9% from the field and 39.9% from 3-point range in that time. Morris has averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per 36 minutes over the past two seasons.

For comparison, Harris has averaged 11.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.3 minutes per game over the past two seasons, shooting just 42.2% from the field and 33.6% from 3-point range in that time.

Looking at a couple of my favorite advanced metrics that typically seem to accurately point out player impact, while Harris has averaged .067 win shares per 48 minutes over the past two seasons (and a VORP of 0.0), Morris has averaged .137 win shares per 48 minutes (and a VORP of 2.5) in that time. What those numbers tell us is that Morris has simply been more effective in his time on the floor, and his efficiency isn’t the only reason why.

While Harris is a fine defender and plays well in Denver’s offense because he makes timely cuts, Morris is an intuitive floor general who reads the floor well and plays a larger role in the team’s effectiveness on this end. Although he’s not quite the defender that Harris has been over the course of his career, Morris is a hard-nosed defender and that should come as no surprise considering the college program he played for.

As previously mentioned, Murray may be a combo guard in the NBA but he should be playing shooting guard — which he played in college at Kentucky and in his rookie season with the Nuggets — more than he plays point guard.

Not only will it benefit Denver by having one of the more natural shooters and top scorers taking better shots but it will alleviate the pressure on Murray defensively, considering that point guards are some of the toughest players to cover in the league and the Blue Arrow is primarily needed for his offense.

Morris isn’t an explosive scorer by any means but he’s a smart and balanced player who will get the job done. Just as important, he’s efficient in an area that matters plenty in this era of basketball and where Harris now struggles: from beyond-the-arc.

While the Nuggets may prefer for their starting point guard to be one they trade for, sign in free agency or who they select in the 2020 NBA Draft, Morris is a safe option who they can keep as the incumbent starter until they make a transaction.

With Morris playing in place of Murray with the starting lineup this season, the Nuggets outscored their opponents by 30.5 points per 100 possessions in 50 minutes. Just imagine how Denver may benefit from playing Morris in front of Harris.