Denver Nuggets: 3 ways Monte Morris can boost his game

Denver Nuggets’ Monte Morris Improvement #2: Fill up his bag

What I mean by this is that while Morris is a three-level scorer with a pretty varied offensive package already, there are definitely a few spots where the Denver Nuggets PG is lacking and could stand to improve.

Morris is excellent on dribble drives but was also quietly one of the most efficient pick-and-roll ball handlers in the NBA last season, putting up 1.03 points per possession, good for a tie for seventh in the league along with the likes of Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley, and Jordan Clarkson. Pretty good company, no?

Morris can create his own shot and make plays for others as well, but there are certain spots on the floor that gave the Grand Rapids native nightmares last season.

The most surprising number you’ll come across when perusing Morris’ shooting splits from this past season is that while he shot a solid 38 percent from deep, he did so while building a whole neighborhood with the bricks he was putting up from the corners, where he shot just 27.5 percent.

Now, as the guy who usually has the ball in his hands, Morris is not usually camped out in the corners, which is why he only took 40 corner threes all season, compared to 92 from above the break.

So I guess it wasn’t a neighborhood he built with those bricks, but more like a little bungalow.

But still, he was mostly running the second unit last season, which means he wasn’t playing next to that passing whiz from Serbia. If he gets the starting gig, Morris will be playing big minutes next to Jokic, and despite his stature, the big man likes to run the offense, so Morris will need to be ready to move more without the ball and possibly camp out in the corner from time to time.

The corner three is considered the most efficient shot in basketball apart from the dunk because it’s nearly two full feet closer to the net than a three-pointer from above the break. It’s all about repetition from that spot, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble for Morris to become a more reliable shooter from those pockets.

The other area in which he must improve is his paint scoring outside the restricted area, where he had an ugly 36.4 success rate last season. In the restricted area, he’s money, but it’s those short to midrange touch shots, push shots, and floaters that were giving Morris trouble last season.

It was Morris’ third-favorite zone to shoot from, however, so it’s clearly a big part of his game. Those shots are not the most efficient, but if they make up part of Morris’ scoring DNA, he’s got to work on those and get that percentage up closer to the more acceptable 45 to 50 range.