:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67431790/usa_today_14093693.0.jpg)
| Player | USG | Ortg | eFG | TRB% | Win Shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Simien | 27.6 | 118.5 | 55.8 | 18.2 | 5.7 |
| Marcus Morris | 26.9 | 121.9 | 60.1 | 15.5 | 7.2 |
| Thomas Robinson | 30 | 106.4 | 51.2 | 22.2 | 7.2 |
The 2011 Big 12 player of the year posted one of the best offensive seasons in KU history, averaging 17 points and just over 7.5 rebounds per game while leading the Big 12 in win shares and ranking 2nd in offensive rating. He’s 5th at KU under Self in PRPG, and 9th in Box plus minus.
Morris also ranks 7th at KU under Self in usage, despite all of the offensive talent on the 2011 Kansas team, showing exactly how highly Bill Self thought of McMorris, and among all players with a 25% usage rate under Self, Morris ranks 2nd under Self in offensive rating (the guy who ranks 1st is still to come).
Morris was also an underrated defensive player. He ranked 17th in the Big 12 in defensive box plus minus in 2011 and 4th in defensive win shares. He showed the potential to guard smaller players on the wings while also providing resistance down low, showing a preview of what he would turn into as an NBA defender.
But it was his monstrous offensive numbers that carried the day (or year) for Morris. He scored more than 17 points per game while ranking third in the league in effective field goal percentage and second in true shooting percentage. As what will probably be a theme here, he piled up the points and did so incredibly efficiently, posting one of the best offensive seasons in Kansas history.
I suspect fans downplay his 2011 season a bit due to the eventual Elite 8 loss to VCU, and while that loss was disappointing, it’s worth noting Morris had 20 points and 16 rebounds in that game and only turned it over once, so blaming him for anything to do with that game would obviously be a mistake. He was great all year in big spots: 17 points on just 7 shots in the Big 12 title game. 21 and 10 in the regular season finale at Missouri. 14, 8 and 5 in a neutral court win over Memphis. The aforementioned Elite 8 game. For the 2011 postseason, he averaged 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He was freaking good.
To finish it out, I will turn it over to the world’s #1 Marcus Morris fan, The Athletic’s CJ Moore. You should subscribe to read his articles, but a small sample:
I'm seeing some questioning whether Marcus Morris is jersey-in-the-rafters worthy. Here is the list of players under Bill Self who used at least 25 percent of team's possessions and posted a plus-120 offensive rating:
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) February 10, 2020
Frank Mason, 2016-17
Marcus Morris, 2010-11
I think Joel Embiid has been studying Morris tape.
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) January 14, 2014
Somehow I get the sense that the college career of Marcus Morris is not appreciated like it should be. Let me and his former KU teammates take you back and remind you just how valuable @MookMorris2 was on the day his No. 22 is retired at Allen Fieldhouse: https://t.co/GHlvioVcTL
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) February 17, 2020
Junior year Sherron Collins, junior year Mario Chalmers, senior Svi, junior year Marcus Morris (best player of Self era) and senior Withey (best center of Self era). Russell Robinson off the bench. That's the team. You cannot beat it. https://t.co/2kPgUJ7EBN
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) March 8, 2019
Best player of the Self era is overstating it a bit, but 6th best season of the Self era isn’t too shabby.
7. Wayne Simien 2005
8. Devon Dotson 2020
9. Mario Chalmers 2008
10. Sherron Collins 2009
11. Perry Ellis 2016
12. Dedric Lawson 2019
13. Jeff Withey 2012
14. Tyshawn Taylor 2012
15. Brandon Rush 2008
16. Joel Embiid 2014
17. Sherron Collins 2010
18. Darrell Arthur 2008
19. Cole Aldrich 2010
20. Ben McLemore 2013
21. Markieff Morris 2011
22. Andrew Wiggins 2014
23. Jeff Withey 2013
24. Josh Jackson 2017
25. Marcus Garrett 2020
26. Travis Releford 2013
27. Perry Ellis 2015
28. Udoka Azubuike 2018
29. Wayne Simien 2004
30. Devonte Graham 2017
31. Malik Newman 2018
32. Wayne Selden 2016
33. Keith Langford 2004